Sonic's Inheritance
by The Chuckinator
Summary: Sonic has been summoned to the world of Alagaesia, where he must help Eragon. But there's a catch: he's been transformed into a dragon! Now he must go on a quest with Eragon and Saphira to defeat Galbatorix, who has plans of his own for Sonic. Crossover with Inheritance Cycle and Sonic the Hedgehog; AU.
1. A Dream of Alagaesia

Sonic's Inheritance

An Inheritance Cycle/Sonic the Hedgehog Crossover Fanfiction Story

by The Chuckinator

Chapter 1: A Dream of Alagaesia  


Night had fallen, and Sonic the Hedgehog ran through the city after another big battle with Dr Eggman. The mad scientist had recently plotting to take over the world again, and of course Sonic was there to stop him. Once he got to his house, he opened the door and sat down on the couch.

"Oh, man," he said to himself. "That was a tough battle, and it's worked up an appetite!"

He walked into the kitchen and grabbed a chili dog from the refrigerator. Just then, the doorbell rang so he walked out to the living room and answered it. His face beamed when he saw who it was.

"Hey, Tails!" Sonic exclaimed. "How've you been?"

"Just fine," Tails said. "Mind if I come in?"

Sonic nodded, and Tails walked inside. He looked at Sonic and chuckled. "I heard about your battle with Eggman."

"Yeah, he never seems to give up!" Sonic told the fox.

Tails smirked and shook his head. "I came here to give you something," he told Sonic. Tails reached into a bag and pulled out a book. Sonic looked at it: the book was called Eragon. It had a cover of a blue dragon on it, and Sonic saw that it was a fantasy novel. He took the book and read the back cover.

"This looks interesting," Sonic said. "I'll give it a try. Is this yours?"

Tails nodded. "I bought it a few days ago, and I'm already finished with it. I thought you might like to read it."

"Thanks a lot, Tails."

"No problem," the fox said. "I'll see you soon!" he turned and walked out of the house.

Sonic walked into his room and sighed. He set the book on his bedside table and climbed into bed. A few minutes later, he was fast asleep.

_"Sonic...Sonic..."_

The voice made the hedgehog snap his eyes open, and he looked around.

"Is anyone there?" he asked. No one answered, so he fell back asleep. _I'm just hearing things,_ he thought.

As soon as he fell back asleep, he was tossing and turning like he was having some sort of nightmare.

_He was standing in an open field, filled with grass and trees. He looked around and saw a gigantic blue dragon with a person riding it. They both looked at him and started to attack. Sonic cringed but realized that they were fighting a red dragon in the air. Then the scene changed, and he saw a king with a black dragon causing devastation to a village. He heard a loud roar, and everything went black._

Sonic shot out of bed, gasping for breath.

_What was that? _he thought. Sonic turned on the light and got out of bed, pacing the room. He then saw the book that Tails left him, and picked it up.  
_I guess it was just a dream. Maybe some reading will help me get to sleep._

He started to read the book, and immediately got hooked. Sonic read through the entire novel in half an hour. Once he finished the book, he lay back down on his bed, setting it aside.

"That was a great book!" he said to himself. "Maybe now I can get some sleep..."

Sonic shut off the light and pulled the covers over him. He didn't notice the book starting to glow, letting out a bright light. When the light faded, Sonic was gone.


	2. Summoned to A New Land

Chapter 2: Summoned to A New Land  


Sonic groaned in pain and opened his eyes. The first thing that he noticed was that he lad landed on his head! He got up and looked around to see where he was, but nothing looked familiar at all. There were mountains and forests in the distance. Sonic saw a town nearby and also some lakes. He furrowed his brow in confusion and scratched his head.

_Where am I? _he thought. _This doesn't look at all like Earth. Am I on another planet or something?  
_

The hedgehog sighed, still confused on where he was. He started to run towards the town in the distance, hoping to get some information about this new land. He tried to remember what had happened: he was at home reading the book Tails had left him, and then he fell asleep. And then the next thing he knew he woke up here! Sonic shook his head and continued to run; this was all very strange.

Sonic was in awe at the geography of this land. He could see mountains as far as the eye could see, and it looked like he was in some sort of valley. The hedgehog ran until he saw the town up ahead. He slowed to a stop when the town's gates came into view and eyed it with interest.

Suddenly he saw some figures walking towards him. His eyes grew wide as he saw that they were hideous creatures that looked like the Ringwraiths from _The Lord of the Rings_. They were hooded figures but Sonic could make out a beak protruding from their faces and sharp, wicked eyes. He slowly backed away as they came closer.

"Who are you?" he shouted.

The figures said nothing, and continued to walk near him. They all drew swords and aimed them at Sonic. The hedgehog blinked and started to pick up speed, but one of the creatures suddenly landed in front of him. He yelped as the sword it was carrying swung down, barely missing him. He jumped and dodged out of the way, only to find himself surrounded by the creatures. They hissed and leaped towards him, taking Sonic by surprise. One of the creatures swung his sword again, this time wounding Sonic.

Suddenly, a bolt of electricity came hurtling towards the creatures. It shocked them violently, causing them to scream in pain. The creatures gave one last look at Sonic before fleeing off into the valley. Sonic looked around for his rescuer and gasped when he saw a woman standing not far from him. She wore black and green armor that appeared to be made of metal. A cape flowed over her shoulders, and a sword was strapped to her side in a holster. The woman looked at Sonic with deep blue eyes.

"Sonic the Hedgehog, I assume?"

Sonic gulped. "How do you know my name?"

The woman laughed. "My name is Angela, and it was I who summoned you here. Follow me; we cannot talk now. The king's spies are everywhere."

A billion questions went through Sonic's mind. She summoned him here? Why, and how? What was so important that someone had to summon him to another world? Sonic was feeling major deja vu; after all, he had been to the world of the Arabian Nights and Camelot also. He shook his head and shrugged, following her; he would ask all this later. They walked through the city and into a shop filled with all sorts of weird stuff: herbs, potions, spell books...it seemed to Sonic that Angela was some sort of witch or mage.

The two sat down at a table across from each other and said nothing for a moment. Finally, Angela spoke.

"I can imagine what you must be thinking, Sonic. Don't worry, I will answer your questions. I have summoned you here because this world need your help."

Sonic fidgeted in his seat. "Where is here, exactly?"

"You are in the land of Alagaesia, in the town of Terim," Angela told him. "This is my shop where I live, and yes, I am a witch."

"Why did you summon me here?" Sonic asked.

Angela sighed. "I summoned you to Alagaesia so that you can help us. There is a tyrannical king, Galbatorrix, who is causing destruction across the land. The Dragon Rider Eragon is destined to destroy him, but you must help him on his quest."

"Eragon?" Sonic said in confusion. _I've heard that name somewhere before..._

"He is the last Dragon Rider in Alagaesia, with his dragon Saphira. They are currently in Ellesmerra visiting the elves and are looking for a way to defeat the king. I will teleport you there so you can meet him and tell him that you are here to help."

Sonic thought about it or a minute, and then nodded. "I will help in any way I can, Angela. Where I come from, there is a man called Dr. Ivo Robotnik, also known as Dr. Eggman, who is constantly trying to take over Earth but I try to stop him. If this world needs my help too, then I will gladly be of assistance."

Angela smiled. "That is what I was hoping to hear. Now, one last thing that you need to know. You will have to take on a new form while you are here; an anthropomorphic hedgehog is not very common in Alagaesia, and would most likely draw attention. I shall use my magic to transform you into a more...suitable, well-known species."

This worried Sonic. "Will this...transformation...be permanent?"

Angela nodded. "Don't worry, you'll still have your speed, along with new abilities with your new form."

"What will I transform into?" Sonic asked.

"You'll find out when you start to change."

"One last question: what were those creatures that attacked me?"

"Those are the Ra'zac, minions of Galbatorrix. I have a feeling that they will not be gone for long; most likely they will alert your presence to the king. However, they might not recognize you in your new form.

Sonic got out of his seat and stood in front of Angela. The witch said an incantation and then shot a bolt of magic at him. Sonic cried out as the magic hit his body and vanished. He looked at Angela, wondering what would happen next.

"When will I transform?" he asked Angela.

"The spell will take effect in a few moments. I am going to teleport you to Ellesmerra now, so be ready. We will see each other again when your quest is over."

Sonic sighed. "I'm ready."

Angela smiled and sent another bolt of magic towards Sonic, who vanished in a flash of light. When the spell was cast, she sat down and looked out the window, reflecting on what she had told him.

"Good luck, Sonic," she whispered to herself. "Your quest has begun."


	3. Sonic's Transformation

Chapter 3: Sonic's Transformation

As soon as Sonic was teleported, he felt himself vanish and reappear instantly in another part of Alagaesia. He stood up and looked around, noticing the forest around him. In the distance, a large city could be seen with many pillars and houses. In addition to that, a large covered domed building was in the center of the city. Flags and banners flew in the wind, catching the eye of Sonic.

_That must be Ellesmera, _Sonic thought. He smirked and remembered what Angela had told him about Eragon and Saphira. The hedgehog sighed and started to walk when a massive amount of pain hit him. He fell to the ground, clutching his chest in agony.

_What's happening to me? _He thought.

Sonic's skin started to harden, becoming blue scales that covered his entire body. His insides felt like they were moving when, in fact, that's exactly what they were doing. Sonic's organs began to stretch and reshape themselves. His chest grew deeper as they organs continued to shift around in his body, giving Sonic a feeling of nausea. He screamed in pain when his heart started to expand, pumping more blood into his body. His lungs also grew in size, making his breathing much easier and filling his body with more oxygen. The organs in his body continued to move and grow, squeezing against his ribs.

His chest deepened as his internal organs doubled in size, making room for new muscles in his body. Sonic's ribcage also expanded, giving his lungs and heart more room to grow inside his chest. The hedgehog's torso was expanding and growing in size as scutes covered it. He could feel his entire body burning up from the inside like a miniature furnace. Sonic grunted in pain as his stomach churned, making him even more nauseous. A painful, burning sensation rose up inside his throat and Sonic coughed, blowing out a jet of flame from his mouth.

Sonic was shocked to see fire come from his mouth, and he immediately gasped in shock. "That's new," he said to himself. "Whatever I'm transforming into, it better be worth it! The fire breathing is...an interesting development. What could...ahh!"

The hedgehog once again cried out as he felt black claws painfully grow out of his fingernails, tearing his gloves into shreds. He stared at his new claws which were growing thicker by the minute. Sonic's hands were also growing larger, thickening with muscle. His fingers were also pushing together, merging into four digits. Sonic's hands continued to thicken until they became massive paws.

His feet started to change also. They build up pressure inside his Sonic's shoes as they grew into large paws, and finally the shoes exploded. Sonic looked at his bare feet and saw that sharp, thick black claws were also protruding from his toes. His toes were also pushing against each other, thickening and merging together until he had three. The transformation stopped for a minute and Sonic took a look at his changed hands and feet.

_Interesting... _he thought to himself.

Sonic then felt his arms and legs beginning to bulk up, growing large as they put on more muscle mass. He screamed out in pain as the bones in his arms and legs began to crack, snapping themselves apart before reversing themselves. This forced Sonic into an entirely new position as he fell onto all fours; his legs and arms were now digitigrade. Also, his legs were stretching upwards and felt himself start to grow. He flexed his claws into the ground, bracing himself for the rest of the transformation.

A sharp stretching pain filled his spine as it began to grow outwards, causing his body lo lengthen. He felt his tail grow in length and stopped when it became four feet long. Sharp long wicked looking spikes suddenly shot out of his back, running all the way to the tip of his tail. Sonic's neck began to elongate, widening and extending as it grew upwards. Bones in his face and neck started to crack painfully as his face started to extend, pushing outwards to and fusing his mouth and nose together to become a long draconian muzzle. Razor sharp fangs tore through his gums to replace his teeth, sharpening into long points. The tip of his tongue became forked, splitting into two and becoming narrow.

The pain died down for a few minutes but then started up again. Sonic arched his back in pain as he felt his shoulders split in two when large bat-like wings exploded from his back, unfurling into a long wingspan. He flapped them anxiously, causing a great outburst of wind.

Sonic closed his eyes in pain when he felt them move slightly to the sides of his head. When he opened them, the pupils had turned into slits but the color of his eyes stayed an emerald green. He found in surprise that he could now see in infrared and ultraviolet light. Sonic's ears had also moved to the sides of his head and stretched out a bit. Two pointed horns grew out of the top of his head and curved backwards a little. His muscles twisted and rippled across his body, growing across his body and becoming stronger. Finally, Sonic continued to grow larger in height until he reached a gargantuan size.

The transformation finished and Sonic looked around, amazed at his new body.

_So this is what she meant! _Sonic thought. _I've transformed into a dragon...this is incredible!_

Suddenly he felt a burning in his stomach and he let out a massive jet of flame. He then looked to the sky, letting out an ear shattering roar and lay down on the ground to rest.


	4. Meeting Eragon

Chapter 4: Meeting Eragon  


Meanwhile in Ellesmera, Eragon and Saphira were talking with each other when they heard a loud roar. They stopped their mental link for a moment and looked in the direction of the sound, obviously shocked to hear it. Eragon looked confused and turned his attention back to Saphira, who had her eyes peeled for anything suspicious. He shrugged and looked back in the direction of the noise.

_What was that? _he asked Saphira.

Saphira said nothing for a minute, her eyes still darting around, looking for any sign of intruders. _I do not know,_ she finally said. _It was a loud roar, but what could make such a noise...besides a dragon, of course.  
_

_Do you want to go check it out?_

_Yes; it would be interesting to find out what sort of creature made that sound,_ Saphira told him. She lay down on the ground so that Eragon could climb up onto her back, and took off into the air. She flew for miles, searching the ground carefully. Finally they came to a clearing in the forest and Eragon saw a shape on the ground. He knew immediately that it was some sort of animal, but he didn't know what species it was...until Saphira dived lower to get a closer look.

_Saphira! _he shouted. _That's a dragon!  
_

_I see it, _Saphira told him. _But how can that be? There aren't any dragons in Alagaesia besides me, Thorn, Glaedr and Shruikan. This is very strange._

She angled her wings and descend, landing on the ground near the dragon. Eragon got off of Saphira and walked up to the dragon cautiously. He could see that it was sleeping and waited for the dragon to wake. The dragon opened his eyes and looked at the human. He stood up on all fours, and Eragon could see that the dragon was much larger than Saphira. He had azure blue scales and emerald green eyes. The dragon eyed Eragon and Saphira curiously, showing his fangs and growling slightly.

_Easy,_ Eragon told the dragon. _We're not going to hurt you. _

The dragon's eyes widened in surprise. _Did you just speak in my head?_

The Rider nodded. _Dragon Riders have the ability to speak with dragons telepathically, as do all dragons. We heard you roar, and came to investigate._

_What is your name, human? _the dragon asked.

_Eragon,_ the Rider replied.

A proud roar came from the dragon. _So you are Eragon! _he exclaimed. _I have been sent here to help you defeat Galbatorrix. My name is Sonic._

Saphira growled. _What do you mean by that?_

Eragon looked at Saphira, and then back at Sonic. _If you don't mind, we would like to take you to Elesmerra. You can answer our questions then, Sonic._

Sonic nodded. _You must have many questions; I will explain everything once we get there.  
_

The Rider nodded and mounted Saphira, flying off to Elesmerra. Sonic watched them leave and flew after Saphira, ready to tell them what he was doing in Alagaesia.


	5. Explanations

Chapter 5: Explanations  


Eragon, Saphira and Sonic got back to Ellesmera and landed in the courtyard. Eragon dismounted Saphira and looked at Sonic. The dragon was glancing around the city, taking in what he saw. He never saw anything like it; the city was surrounded by trees and many of the buildings were build into them and connected by bridges. In the center of the courtyard Sonic saw a gigantic tree deeply rooted in the ground, and looked at it curiously.

_What kind of tree is that? _he asked Eragon.

Eragon looked surprised. _That is the Menoa Tree, the oldest tree in Ellesmera. Many of the elves here say it is sacred, and keeps watch over the city. Have you not heard of it?  
_

Sonic shook his head. _You could say I am new to this land._

Saphira eyed Sonic in confusion and let out a low growl. _How are you new to Alagaesia? You're a dragon; they are native to this land. What do you mean? _

Sonic let out a growl. _Let me explain...you may be surprised when you hear what I have to say._ _As I told you, my name is Sonic._ _I was summoned to this land by Angela, who told me that I must help you two defeat Galbatorix. She transformed me into a dragon to...help me fit in, I guess you could say.  
_

Eragon looked at the dragon with interest. _What was your original form?_

_An anthropomorphic hedgehog from the planet Earth, _Sonic told him._ I was a hero saving the planet from my archenemy Dr. Robotnik, also known as Dr. Eggman. He was always trying to take over the world but I always stopped him and kept foiling his plans. This is not the first time I have been to a different world, however. I recently was summoned to the world of the Arabian Nights and the Kingdom of Camelot to help them also. Not to mention that when I finished my adventures in Camelot, I became king of that world.  
_

Saphira was impressed. She looked at Sonic with pride and blushed a little. _It sounds like you have done some very brave things. Eragon and I have, also. We recently won a battle against Eragon's brother Murtagh, who is also a Dragon Rider but unwillingly works for the king. You mentioned that you would help us defeat Galbatorix?  
_

_That is why I am here, _Sonic replied. He stretched and flexed his wings, digging his claws into the dirt. Saphira walked up to him, studying the dragon closely. She dipped her head in acknowledgment as she looked at Sonic. The two dragons looked at each other for a moment before talking again.

_Your transformation...is it permanent? _Saphira asked.

Sonic gave a toothy grin. _Yes, that is what Angela told me. But I don't mind; I think it's pretty cool to be a dragon. She also told me that I would have new abilities in this form but I'm not sure what yet, besides breathing fire. Do you know what she meant by that, Saphira?_

The female dragon was silent for a moment, and then finally spoke. _Dragons are very powerful animals, Sonic. Angela was most likely referring to the magical abilities they have along enhanced senses and immortality. The use of dragon magic is also a trait. Now that you're a dragon, you have all the abilities of one.  
_

Sonic looked at her, astounded at what she had to say. He growled slightly and walked towards Eragon. _Now that I've explained myself, do you still want my help?_

Eragon nodded. _Come with me; there is some people that I want you to meet. _

_Who? _Sonic asked.

Eragon grinned. _I'm going to take you to my teacher, Oromis._

* * *

The two dragons followed Eragon into the forest. It was a long walk but they finally reached a clearing. Sonic saw a home nearby and waited nearby. Eragon walked up to the home and knocked on the door. A few minutes later, an elf walked out and looked at Eragon.

"What is it, Eragon? I assume you want to speak to me?"

Eragon nodded. "This is very important, master. We found another dragon."

Oromis gasped. "A dragon? Where is it?"

He looked near Saphira and gasped in shock when he saw Sonic. The dragon dipped his head and the elf walked up to Sonic, running his hands along the dragon's muzzle to feel the rough scales. Oromis walked around Sonic, inspecting his form. Finally, he nodded and looked at Eragon.

"This dragon is very well-build and seems very strong. Where did you find him?"

"We found him out in the forest, Master," Eragon told Oromis. "Saphira and I heard a roar and went to investigate; that's when we saw him. He said his name is Sonic."

"That is an interesting name for a dragon. This changes everything; now we have another dragon with us to help overthrow the king." He sighed and turned away from Eragon. "Come; we must go. It is time to see Glaedr; he will talk to Sonic. I have a feeling there is something very special about this dragon."

He and Eragon got on Saphira, ready to take off. Sonic looked at her.

_Where are we going? _he asked.

_To see Oromis's dragon, _Saphira responded. She took off into the air and waited for Sonic. The male dragon flexed his wings and flew after Saphira, eager to find out what Glaedr would tell him.


	6. Glaedr's Advice

Chapter 6: Glaedr's Advice  


The two dragons flew through the air, heading towards where Glaedr was. They angled their wings and descended into a large clearing in one area of the forest and landed. Eragon and Oromis got off of Saphira and stood in the clearing. Sonic landed beside her and waited.

"Glaedr, I must speak with you!" Oromis yelled. "It's extremely urgent."

They waited in silence for a few minutes, confident that Glaedr would show up. A gust of wind picked up and they heard the sound of flapping wings. Eragon and Oromis glanced up to see a gigantic golden dragon the same size as Sonic land in front of them. He bowed his head towards Oromis, who bowed in return. The dragon glanced around, finally fixing his gaze on the elf.

_I have come just like you asked,_ he said in a deep booming voice. _Tell me, Oromis, what is it that you need from me?_

Oromis looked at the dragon. _There has been a most interesting development, Glaedr. It seems that Eragon and Saphira have found another dragon. _

Glaedr looked shocked. _That is amazing! _he exclaimed. _Where is this dragon? I must see him._

Sonic walked forward so that Glaedr could see him and looked the golden dragon in the eye. _I am the dragon,_ he said. _My name is Sonic. it is nice to meet you, Glaedr. _

_Same to you, _Glaedr told him. _Tell me Sonic, Eragon and Saphira found you in the forest, did they not?_

_They did. I am here to help you all defeat Galbatorix. _

Glaedr let out a snarl. _That evil king has caused nothing but trouble since he took the throne. It is nice to find another ally. But I sense something about you...something different. I can sense that you are not a real dragon. Have you been transformed by magic?  
_

Sonic was taken aback; he did not expect Glaedr to find out what he had been before his transformation. He growled and nodded. _Angela summoned me here and transformed me into this new form. I was an anthropomorphic hedgehog from the planet Earth until I got to this land. This is also a permanent transformation, so I will be in this form forever. _

_Does it bother you that you can no longer return to your original form?_

_No, it does not, _Sonic told him. _I happen to like being a dragon; it is an entirely new perspective on life. The form that I have now is incredible.  
_

Glaedr let out a prideful roar. _A dragon is the most powerful species in Alagaesia,_ he told Sonic. _You are wise to think of it as your true form. Now, let's get down to business. First of all, I am going to read your mind to look into your past. After I am done, I will tell you what needs to be done in order to overthrow the king. Do you have some questions about you new abilities?  
_

_Saphira already told me what abilities I have._

_Good, _Glaedr said. _Prepare yourself as I enter your mind._

Sonic braced himself as the golden dragon started to read his mind. He roared in pain as he felt mental barriers being stripped away, leaving his mind vulnerable and open to attack. He then felt the golden dragon's presence enter his head, searching for memories and looking through them. After a few minutes, Glaedr withdrew his presence and restored Sonic's mental barriers. Sonic breathed heavily and glared at Glaedr, roaring at him menacingly.

_What was that? _Sonic roared at the golden dragon. _It felt as if you were attacking my mind! I thought you were only going to read it and see my past! _

_The pain that you felt was me breaking the mental barriers in your head that were preventing me from reading your thoughts, _Glaedr told him. _Everyone has barriers in their mind; some are strong and some are weak. Yours, however, are stronger than mine. I had to push very hard to disable them and read your mind. If you do not have a strong willpower then anyone can break the barriers and have access to your mind. That is how Galbatorix is able to bend people and creatures to his will; by stripping away the barriers and leaving the mind to be searched through like an open book.  
_

Sonic continued glaring at Glaedr. _I will remember that. How will I know if someone is trying to break into my mind?_

_If someone breaks into your mind, you will experience the same exact pain you felt a moment ago, _Glaedr told him. _Now, try it on me._

The blue dragon snorted and closed his eyes, pushing his thoughts into Glaedr's head. Instead of prying all the way into his mind, Sonic felt resistance and tried to break down the mental shields but found that they were too strong. He withdrew his consciousness from Glaedr's mind instantly and looked at the golden dragon, who growled in annoyance.

_I tried,_ Sonic said. _But you have a much greater resistance._

_That is because I am much more experienced at barring my mind, _Glaedr told the blue dragon. _You will gain more experience at this when you practice. _He then projected his thoughts so that everyone could hear. _But onto more important matters: Galbatorix. You will need the help of the Varden if we are going to defeat this tyrant once and for all. _

Eragon nodded. "They have been helping us, and this war against the king is not yet over. Not to mention that Murtagh is now under the king's control. We should head there immediately."

"Glaedr and I will stay her until you return," Oromis said. "Be safe, Shurtugal."

Sonic looked at Eragon, who had gotten on Saphira's back and was ready to leave. _What does Shurtugal mean?_

_It means Dragon Rider in the Ancient Language,_ Eragon told him. _I will explain on the way._

Saphira looked at Sonic and the two dragons launched themselves off the ground and started to fly towards Farthen Dur.

When they were gone, Oromis looked at Glaedr. _What did you think of Sonic? _he asked.

Glaedr closed his eyes and lay down. _He is an interesting dragon. I have a feeling he will turn the tide of this war._

Oromis watched the retreating dragons until they could no longer be seen. _Let's hope you're right, _he told Glaedr. Then he sighed and lay on the ground, wondering what this new dragon could do to help win the war against Galbatorix.


	7. The Varden

Chapter 7: The Varden

Meanwhile in Uru'baen, King Galbatorix was sitting on his throne in thought when the Ra'zac walked in and bowed in respect.

"Rise," Galbatorix said, and they did so. "What do you have to report this time?"

"A few days ago we were patrolling the valley and saw a blue hedgehog. He was walking through the valley so we ambushed him, intending on capturing the hedgehog for questioning. Unfortunately, we failed to capture him. Someone came out of nowhere and stopped us from taking the hedgehog."

"What? Who was it?"

One of the Ra'zac shook his head. "We're not sure but she did look like some sort of witch. She shot spells at us, forcing us to retreat. Afterwards, I am guessing that she took the hedgehog somewhere to talk to her."

Galbatorix sighed. "It must have been Angela; I have a feeling that she told that hedgehog to help the Dragon Riders. She must have sent him to the Varden," he said. The king thought for a moment and a grin appeared on his face. He chuckled menacingly and looked at the Ra'zac. "I have a new mission for you: attack the Varden. Take the Urgals and all of our minions. We shall draw them out until we find that hedgehog. Capture him properly this time and bring him to me, do you understand?"

The Ra'zac nodded and left. Once they were gone, Galbatorix stood up and called Murtagh. The Dragon Rider walked in instantly.

"What is is, my Lord?" Murtagh asked.

"I have learned that a blue talking hedgehog has recently showed up in Alagaesia, and that he is hiding out at the Varden headquarters. I want you and Thorn to go there and draw him out."

Murtagh bowed. "I will do that. When should we launch an attack?"

"As soon as you can. I want that hedgehog brought here immediately. Do whatever you can to capture him, am I clear?"

The Rider nodded and left. Once he was gone, Galbatorix sat back down and grinned. This time, he would crush the Varden while taking the blue hedgehog prisoner! Everything was working out perfectly...

* * *

Saphira and Sonic flew through the sky, heading towards Farthen Dur. They had been flying for hours, and Sonic was getting anxious.

_When will we get there? _he asked Eragon.

The Dragon Rider looked at him. _Just a few more minutes; you can see Farthen Dur from here. _

He pointed, and sure enough, the outlines of a mountain could be seen in the distance. The two dragons started to fly lower as the mountain grew closer. Once they were near it, they landed on the ground and looked around. Eragon got off of Saphira and peered ahead. He saw some guards in the distance and walked up to them. Sonic and Saphira followed him cautiously. When they got near enough, Eragon alerted the guards. They saw Eragon and stood at attention, who walked up to them and cleared his throat.

"Is Nasuada here?" Eragon asked. "I wish to speak with her."

A guard nodded his head. "Oromis told her you would be coming. Follow us."

They led Eragon, Saphira and Sonic down a winding path in the mountain. A few minutes later they got to the end and opened a door to a cavern. Two griffins were guarding the gates, and the guards opened the gates allowing Eragon and the two dragons to pass through. They entered a large cavern-like city and saw dwarves and humans all walking throughout the city. A human walked up to Eragon and smiled.

"Welcome back, Eragon," Nasuada said.

Eragon smiled. "It is good to see you again, my lady. Glaedr told me to come here; we have had an interesting turn of events these past few days." The Rider motioned for Sonic to come forward, and the dragon did so. Nasuada's eyes widened as she saw the dragon and looked at him in shock. Sonic let out a low growl and looked at Nasuada.

_It is nice to meet you,_ Sonic said. _My name is Sonic; I have come to help Eragon and Saphira defeat Galbatorix._

Nasuada nodded and looked at Eragon. "Where did you find this dragon?"

"We found him in the forest of Ellesmera," Eragon told her. "He was summoned from another world my Angela, who transformed him into a dragon."

"Very interesting. Well, we need all the help that we can get. Let's hope Sonic is up to the challenge."

_Of course I am! _Sonic exclaimed. _I've been saving my home planet Earth countless times in the past. Now I will help you defeat this tyrant._

Nasuada smiled. "That's what I like to hear! Now Sonic, we have a plan to infiltrate Galbatorix's castle in Uru'baen. I know someone here who will help you and Eragon. He's met her countless times, as she has proven to be a terrific ally of the Varden."

"Who is it?" Eragon asked.

Suddenly the doors opened and out came a female elf. Eragon's eyes widened when he saw who it was. "Arya!"

The elf smiled. "Hello, Eragon; Saphira. How are you?"

"We're fine."

Arya smiled and looked at Sonic. "so, you are the new dragon. I admit, you seem very powerful."

_I am, _Sonic told her.

The elf narrowed her eyes and looked at Eragon again. "Nasuada has told you that I have plans about Uru'baen. it is very simple; you need to..."

She stopped when a loud roar was heard outside. Everyone ran out of the city and saw Murtagh riding Thorn, attacking the guards who were standing in their way. Eragon also saw Ra'zac running down the mountain in an eager manner, ready to fight. Nasuada turned around and looked at Eragon.

"What are they doing here? It's impossible to find this place!"

_They must be after me,_ Sonic said. He opened his mouth and roared loudly, catching the enemies' attention. _We have no choice; we must fight!_

Sonic spread his wings and launched himself in the air, ready to fight. The battle had begun!


	8. A Quick Battle

Chapter 8: A Quick Battle  


Murtagh was looking around the battlefield, searching for the blue hedgehog. He didn't see anything so he yelled at the top of his lungs, "Where is the blue hedgehog? My master Galbatorix wants to know and is certain that he is here. Hand him over and no one shall be harmed."

Eragon looked at Sonic. _How did the king know about you? _

_Earlier this week when I first got here, some Ra'zac ambushed me, _Sonic told him. _They must have gone back to Galbatorix and told him about me. Fortunately, I'm not a blue hedgehog anymore. He'll be in a shock when he find out what I am now!  
_

Sonic flapped his wings and took to the sky. He saw Thorn and roared loudly, issuing a challenge to the evil Rider and dragon. Murtagh looked shocked at the sight of another dragon but quickly masked his surprise and reached out with his mind to speak to Sonic.

_I didn't expect to see another dragon here,_ he said. _However, you are foolish to challenge me. Now tell me where that damned blue hedgehog is!_

_You're looking at him, _Sonic said in a cocky voice. Murtagh's eyes widened, surprised to find out that the blue hedgehog that the Ra'zac had sighted earlier was now a gigantic dragon even bigger than Thorn! He growled in anger and glared at Sonic.

_Even if you have somehow transformed into a dragon, it does not mean you are more powerful than me or my master! _Murtagh shouted at Sonic. Thorn was also looking at Sonic, eyes blazing with hatred. He roared at Sonic, who roared back. The two dragons flew at each other, blowing fire. Thorn growled and clawed at Sonic but the blue dragon dodged the attack and bit Thorn in the neck, digging his fangs into his scaly hide. Thorn roared in pain as Sonic let go, blowing another jet of flame at the evil dragon.

The blast of fire engulfed Thorn. He roared when he felt the heat of the blast wash over him. When the attack ended, smoke was coming up from Thorn's scales. He roared at Sonic and blew fire at him. Sonic dodged the blast and clawed at Thorn's underbelly. The dragon roared in pain as he was wounded. Murtagh also felt the wound and gasped in pain. He looked at Sonic in hatred.

_You may be stronger than us but that will soon change! _he told Sonic. _We will battle again, and the next time, you won't be so lucky._

Sonic growled as he saw Murtagh retreat. He landed on the ground and snorted, looking at Eragon. _They got away,_ he said. _Do you want me to go after them?_

Eragon shook his head. _There will always be another battle,_ he told the dragon. _Don't be so impatient, Sonic._

_Impatient is my middle name, _Sonic said. _I'm more used to taking action, not waiting for something to happen. _He let out a low growl. _I suppose you are right. We'll battle again soon_ _and I intend to finish what we started. Where is Murtagh headed now?  
_

_My guess is that he and Thorn are heading back to Galbatorix. I assume that he will tell the king what he saw. If I am right, Galbatorix shall be alerted of your presence here and will keep an eye out for you. _

_Let him, _the dragon told Eragon._ It is only a matter of time before he knows who I am. If I want to help you, then I must make my presence in Alagaesia known.  
_

Eragon nodded. _That is a very smart idea; now Galbatorix will have two dragons to deal with instead of one. Come; Nasuada wishes to speak with you. _He turned away and started walking back to the mountain. Sonic followed him, eager to tell the Varden what he knew.

* * *

Meanwhile, Thorn and Murtagh had landed back in Uru'baen. The rider dismounted his dragon and walked into the throne room. He kneeled before Galbatorix and bowed his head.

"Rise," Galbatorix said, and Murtagh did so. "Have you captured the hedgehog?"

Murtagh hesitated. "We failed to do so, your highness. However, we did find something interesting during battle."

Galbatorix leaned against his chair. "What did you find?"

"The hedgehog, my lord. Only...he wasn't a hedgehog anymore. We saw that he had been transformed into a dragon."

"What? How is that possible!" Galbatorix exclaimed. "Someone can't transform into an animal unless it's through some sort of magic spell. Did he say how he had been transformed?"

Murtagh shook his head. "He only told us that he had been transformed into a dragon; he did not say how. However, we did find out his name."

"What is his name?"

"Sonic."

Galbatorix grinned. "It is possible that Angela transformed Sonic into a dragon. Now that we know who and what he is, I plan to use him for my bidding. Bring Angela here; I know she can tell me about Sonic."

Murtagh nodded and left. When he was gone, Galbatorix leaned against his throne in silence. Now that he knew about this new dragon, a new plan began to form in his mind. Galbatorix chuckled evilly, wondering why Angela had transformed Sonic into a dragon. He had to get rid of Sonic soon or turn him evil. One way or another, he would find out what to do with Sonic.


	9. The Meeting

Chapter 9: The Meeting  


Sonic walked back inside the Varden hideout where he saw Nasuada. She looked at him and smiled.

"Well, if it isn't the new dragon. I heard you battled Murtagh and Thorn," she said.

_They escaped, _Sonic growled. _I wanted to go after them but Eragon stopped me._

Nasuada walked up to Sonic and chuckled. "I heard you're more used to taking action, and not waiting around. Don't worry, you'll get you chance. Speaking of which, there are a few things I've been meaning to ask you about your home planet. What did you do before you came here?"

The dragon sighed. _I am from the planet Earth. My friends and I have been fighting a mad scientist, my archenemy Dr. Eggman. He is always coming up with plots to rule the world but I am always there to stop him. Some of my friends team up with me to defeat Eggman, and most of the time we win. However, he always comes back with a new plot, so I just do what I do best._

_"_How do you usually stop him?"

_With my speed. I'm the fastest thing alive, and when I was a hedgehog, I could run faster than the speed of sound. _

"That's...amazing. Do you still have your speed now that you're a dragon, or is it gone?" Nasuada asked.

Sonic shook his head. _Angela told me that I still have my speed in this form, along with the powers of a dragon. She said that this transformation is permanent but I don't care. I actually like being a dragon; it's way past cool! This form that I have now is more powerful, and I have extra abilities then when I was a hedgehog. If Egghead saw this, he'd be freaked out!  
_

Nasuada was about to say something else when Eragon walked over. "I see you two have been talking," he said, and looked at Sonic. The dragon nodded and bowed his head towards Eragon, allowing the Rider to stroke his muzzle. He let out a low snort and retracted his head, eying Eragon with curiosity.

_I assume you have something to say? _he asked.

Eragon nodded. _Arya wants us to come to a meeting; she has a plan to infiltrate Galbatorix's castle. I will be there, along with Saphira. She wanted you and Nasuada to join her also. _

_Lead the way,_ Sonic said. He followed Eragon into the great hall and saw Arya and the rest of the Varden standing around a table. They looked up when they saw the dragon walk in and gasped in amazement. Eragon cleared his throat, causing everyone to look at him. When he had gotten their attention, he spoke in a loud, clear voice.

"I know that everyone is surprised by the appearance of this new dragon, so I would like to say a few words. His name is Sonic, and he has been sent here to help us defeat Galbatorix. You saw what he did in battle against Murtagh; he has proven himself to be a powerful ally during this war. I know that everyone here has been anxious to end it, and with Sonic here, we may have a chance at defeating Galbatorix once and for all. Before we begin this meeting, does anyone have any questions about Sonic and his abilities?"

The group looked at Eragon and said nothing. A few seconds later, King Orrin stood up. He gazed at Sonic in amazement and cleared his throat. "How confident are you in your abilities, Sonic?" he asked.

_Let's just say that I never lose, _Sonic said. _Galbatorix wont know what hit him, just like a certain Egghead I know. _

Orrin blinked. "I see. You have had experience fighting before, haven't you?"

Sonic nodded.

The king sat down, satisfied with Sonic's answer. The dragon looked around to see if there was anyone else with a question but no one stood up. He snorted with impatience and looked at Eragon, who took the hint that Sonic was ready for the meeting to start.

"I think we are ready to begin," the Dragon Rider said. Everyone took their seats and turned their attention to Eragon. He cleared his throat and began to speak. "Now, we have just been in a battle against Murtagh. He was obviously after Sonic, who fought him off. Unfortunately, our hideout has been compromised and we need to move to another location. Does anyone have good suggestions?"

The room was silent for a moment. A few minutes later, King Orrin stood up. "I think it would be wise, now that Galbatorix has discovered our location, that we move the Varden headquarters to Surda. The country would be an excellent location, and we will welcome you with open arms. Is that agreed upon?"

Nasuada stood up and nodded. "We shall move there as soon as possible, King Orrin. Now I believe that Arya has a plan concerning Eragon, Sonic, Saphira and herself. Could she please share that information?"

Everyone turned to Arya and she stood up. "Thank you, Nasuada," she said. "I have a plan that may work against Galbatorix. Eragon, Saphira, and Sonic and shall head to Uru'baen, attacking the castle and engaging him in battle."

_How do we know that he will not be prepared?_ Saphira asked. _Attacking him head-on is not as easy as you may think. Galbatorix has many guards along with Murtagh, Thorn and Shruikan. We would easily be outmatched against them.  
_

Arya grinned. "This is why I will create a distraction. When Galbatorix learns of our move to Surda...and no doubt about it, he will know soon enough...he will most likely send one of his Dragon Rider minions to battle. This is when the three of you will go to Uru'baen and confront Galbatorix, possibly after the battle is over. Keep in mind that this will not happen for a while; I am still thinking about how Eragon, Saphira and Sonic will defeat him."

She looked at Eragon and the two dragons. The Rider had a thoughtful look on his face and then nodded. "That will work, but we should get prepared first. Do you want us to go see Oromis and ask him what we need to do? he could help us."

"Yes, that would be fine. We will be heading to Surda in two days; you'll meet us there, I presume?"

Eragon nodded and looked at Sonic. _Ready to help us win this war?_

_You bet I am! _Sonic said in a cocky voice. He walked outside, followed by Eragon and Saphira. The two dragons looked at each other fondly.

_Oromis will help us, _Saphira told Sonic. _He has been Eragon's tutor for many months and is training him to be a better Rider. If anyone will know how to defeat Galbatorix, it will be him._

_Well, let's go see him! _Eragon said. He got on Saphira and sighed.

Saphira let out a loud roar, spread her wings, and rose in the air. Sonic followed her and the two dragons flew in the air, heading back to Ellesmera.


	10. Capturing Angela

Chapter 10: Capturing Angela

Back in Uru'baen, a plan was forming in Galbatorix's mind. He knew that the witch Angela has summoned Sonic here and transformed him into a dragon. Now he thought that if he could use Angela's spell to his advantage, he could do the same thing! Galbatorix stood up and called for Murtagh, who walked in and bowed at the king.

"You sent for me?" Murtagh asked.

Galbatorix nodded. "I want you to go to the city of Teirm and capture a witch named Angela. It was she who summoned Sonic here and transformed him into a dragon, I am sure of it. Capture her and bring the witch to Uru'baen so that I can probe her mind and learn the spell that she used so that I can turn it to my advantage. Also, when you reach the Teirm, be sure to burn it to the ground. I do not want Angela to escape from the city. Do you understand what I need you to do, Murtagh?"

"Yes, my King."

"Good," Galbatorix sneered. "Now, do not fail me!"

Murtagh nodded and walked out of the room into the courtyard. He saw Thorn and nodded. The dragon bowed his head as Murtagh got on his back. Murtagh sighed in exasperation and sent out a mental thought to Thorn.

_We have orders from Galbatorix,_ the Rider said. _He wants us to go to Teirm and capture the herbalist-witch Angela._

_I assume that it has something to do with this new dragon that we fought? _Thorn asked.

The Rider nodded. _Galbatorix wants to use her magic to summon more people from Sonic's world and transform them into dragons. I do not know how he will do that but I am not going to question him. You know that we do not like working for the king but since we are under his command we have no choice. When we get to Teirm, burn down the entire city and we will look for this damned herbalist._

Thorn snorted and let out a loud roar, launching himself off the ground and into the sky. The Rider and dragon flew for miles, passing many mountains, cities and valleys. A few hours later, they saw a mountain range in the distance and knew that they were close. Soon, the town of Teirm appeared and Thorn let out a mighty growl to alert the citizens of their arrival. Many people saw them and screamed in terror, running away as soon as they saw the dragon. Thorn landed on the ground with a thud and Murtagh got off of his back, drawing his sword.

"People of Teirm," Murtagh shouted. "I have come to seek the herbalist Angela. Kindly tell me where the hell she is or I will have my dragon burn this city until there is nothing left but ruins."

The citizens were shocked. They knew that Angela lived here in her shop but no one was about to tell Murtagh where she was. The Rider waited patiently for a few minutes but no one spoke. Finally, he sighed in resignation and glared at the citizens angrily.

"Fine; you had your chance. Now watch in terror as Thorn destroys your damn city!"

He nodded at his dragon, who flapped his wings and hovered in the air. Thorn took a deep breath and exhaled, letting loose a stream of flames that engulfed the entire city. People screamed as they were burned alive. Buildings collapsed as they were set of fire; some even crushed a few people to death as they toppled to the ground. Murtagh watched the destruction with pride and grinned evilly. Thorn continued to blow fire out of his mouth until Teirm was completely destroyed. Then the dragon landed behind his Rider and snarled.

Suddenly a bolt of magic came out of nowhere and hit Murtagh in the chest. He doubled over in pain and looked up to see Angela standing in front of him. He chuckled and lunged, slashing his sword towards the woman. Angela dodged the attack and sent out another bolt of magic. The two dueled for a few minutes before stopping to talk.

"You must be Angela," Murtagh said. "I have orders from Galbatorix to capture you. Come with me or I will have to use force."

Angela stood silent for a moment and then spoke. "Your king is only using you, Murtagh. I sent Sonic here for a reason, and he will help us defeat you two!"

She sent a bolt of magic again but Murtagh circled around, sending out a magical attack himself. The attack hit Angela and paralyzed her instantly. Murtagh chuckled again and sheathed his sword.

"I am much more powerful that you think," he said. "This spell is only temporary but it will stay in effect long enough for me to take you back to Galbatorix."

He picked Angela up and threw her onto Thorn's back. Then he got on his dragon and chuckled.

_Time to go, _Murtagh said to Thorn.

The dragon snarled and flew up into the sky, heading back to Galbatorix. Murtagh grinned, knowing that his mission was a success. When they got back to the castle, Galbatorix stood in the courtyard and waited for the dragon to land.

"I have the witch, my king," Murtagh said.

Galbatorix grinned. "Take her to the dungeon."

Murtagh nodded and walked into the castle holding Angela. Galbatorix chuckled evilly, already planning what he would do to make Angela give up the spell he needed.


	11. The Summoning

Chapter 11: The Summoning

Murtagh dragged Angela to the dungeon and pushed her into a cell. He closed the cell door and locked it. A few minutes later, Angela awoke and looked around. She gasped in fear when she saw Murtagh and sent out a bolt of magic from her staff. However, Murtagh blocked it and grabbed her staff, studying it with interest.

"So this is how you summon your magic, is it?" he asked.

Angela said nothing. She just glared at him coldly and scoffed. Murtagh gave a slight grin and chuckled. He started to walk out of the dungeon when he heard Angela's voice.

"What is it you and Galbatorix want with me?" she asked.

Murtagh turned back to her. "You'll find out soon," he said. "I suggest you rest; we'll come back to get you when we are ready."

He walked out and went up to the throne room to give his report to the king. Galbatorix stood in the room and smiled when Murtagh walked in. The Dragon Rider bowed and held out Angela's staff. Galbatorix smiled and took the object. He chuckled and then looked at Murtagh.

"You have done well, Murtagh. I am very pleased with you. We shall have Angela use her magic soon. I am curious to know what happened at Teirm. Did you destroy the city?" the king asked.

Murtagh nodded. "Yes, I did. Thorn blew streams of flame that engulfed the entire city. It is nothing but rubble now."

Galbatorix chuckled. "I do suppose that Sonic will find out about this eventually. Go back to the dungeon and get Angela; I have some questions to ask her before we make her use her magic."

The Rider walked out of the room and back into the dungeon. He opened Angela's cell and grabbed her, forcing the witch out of the cell and into the throne room. Galbatorix watched her with interest as Murtagh pushed her down, and she fell to the floor on all fours, gasping in pain. She looked at the king with a hateful expression on her face.

"What is it you want with me?" she asked again.

"I wish to know how you summoned Sonic here and transformed him into a dragon. You will tell me everything, starting with the spell you used."

Angela glared at him. "I will never give up the spell. I summoned Sonic here and transformed him by means of a secret ritual in the Ancient Language. I know what you plan to do, and I will never help you succeed in your evil plans!"

Galbatorix sighed and walked up to her, showing Angela her staff. She gasped and lunged for it but Murtagh held her back. The king smirked and knelt down so that he was eye level with her.

"If you do not wish to tell me willingly, then I will force the spell out of your mind and perform it myself!" he shouted.

Angela said nothing. Galbatorix looked at Murtagh and the Rider nodded. The king sighed and forced Angela to stand up. Murtagh grabbed her and held her in place so that she could not move. The king smirked and forced his consciousness into Angela's mind. The witch screamed in pain and tried to put up a mental barrier but it was no use. She felt Galbatorix search through her mind, looking for the spell. Finally he found it and withdrew from Angela's mind. He chuckled and then laughed in triumph.

"Now that I know the spell, my dear Angela, you are of no more use to me. Take her back into the dungeon, Murtagh!"

Murtagh nodded and took Angela way. When he came back, the staff that Galbatorix was holding started to glow. A circle formed around them and Galbatorix started to chant in the Ancient Language. A bright light shot up from the circle and opened a portal. Seconds later, Galbatorix saw a shape appear and fell down, landing hard on the ground.

The light faded as the spell ended. Galbatorix looked at the figure with interest, and gasped in shock. Lying unconscious on the ground was a black and red anthropomorphic hedgehog.


	12. Shadow of a Dragon

Chapter 12: Shadow of a Dragon

A groan came from the hedgehog and he opened his eyes. He stood up and looked around, not knowing where he was. Galbatorix looked at him with a curious expression on his face. The hedgehog had red and black fur with white chest fur. His pupils were red, and he wore inhibitor rings on his arms and legs along with gloves and hover shoes.

"Who are you?" Galbatorix asked, waiting for the hedgehog to speak.

When the hedgehog saw Galbatorix, he narrowed his eyes in suspicion. He opened his mouth and spoke in a dark tone. "I am Shadow the Hedgehog, the Ultimate Lifeform." He looked around the room and saw that he was no longer on Earth. A crackle of Chaos Energy build up in Shadow's hand and a Chaos Spear appeared. "Where am I?" Shadow asked. "Was it you who brought me here?"

"I did," he told Shadow. "My name is Galbatorix, and you have been summoned to the land of Alagaesia."

"Why?" Shadow asked, still suspicious.

Galbatorix chuckled. Shadow immediately had a feeling that this person was evil and was plotting something. "It's very simple," Galbatorix said. "I wish for you to become my servant. There is a war going on, and a Dragon Rider is trying to overthrow my rule as king. On top of that, another dragon has appeared from your world and is helping the Rider on his quest."

Shadow listened carefully to what Galbatorix said and scoffed. "There aren't any dragons that live on Earth, Galbatorix. That is the planet where I come from."

"What if I told you that the dragon was transformed by magic when he came here, and he was originally a hedgehog named Sonic."

This caught Shadow's attention. "Sonic is here in Alagaesia? If that is true, then how did he get here?"

"A witch named Angela summoned him here and transformed him into a dragon permanently. He is currently helping the Dragon Rider named Eragon, who wishes to defeat me. However, I have summoned you here so that you can do my bidding instead and we will have an advantage over them! I already have two dragons who work for me, and I can see that you would be a good servant. What do you say, Shadow?"

Shadow looked at him and an angry expression appeared on his face. He took out a green Chaos Emerald. Galbatorix's eyes widened when he saw it, and was about to ask what it was when Shadow spoke. "If you think I am going to help you, then you are sadly mistaken. I never help anyone who is evil, Galbatorix. Since you mentioned that Sonic is here in Alagaesia, I think that I will go and help him take you down instead. But before I do...I think I'm going to teach you a lesson to teach you never to cross me again." He lifted the Chaos Emerald in the air and shouted, "CHAOS CONTROL!"

He vanished in a flash of green light a reappeared behind Galbatorix, kicking him hard in the back. The king flew through the air and landed on the ground hard. He sent out a bolt of magic that hit Shadow, shocking him. Shadow sent out a Chaos Spear but Galbatorix just blocked it and sent the attack back at Shadow. The Chaos Spear hit the hedgehog in the chest and he yelled in pain, dropping the emerald. The Chaos Emerald fell to the ground and Galbatorix picked it up. He studied it with interest and grinned.

"What is this?" he asked Shadow. "It is a very interesting emerald, and I can sense that it hold a great amount of power."

Shadow said nothing, and Galbatorix just sighed. "I'll know soon enough. Since you are too stubborn enough to accept my offer I will force you to swear allegiance to me."

He plunged his consciousness into Shadow's mind and felt a great barrier of resistance. Shadow tried to keep Galbatorix out of his head but his efforts were futile. He screamed in pain and clutched his head as Galbatorix read his thoughts and sent the knowledge of the Ancient Language into Shadow's mind, forcing him to recite oaths that would bind him to Galbatorix as long as he lived. The king withdrew from Shadow's mind and smirked.

"Very good, Shadow. But one more thing needs to be done before I can have use of your services."

He sent another bolt of magic towards Shadow, who screamed as pain racked his body. His fur hardened into scales and covered his entire body. Scutes ran down his constantly deepening chest, which enlarged his internal organs and twisted them into new shapes. His breathing grew deeper as his lungs, ribs and heart expanded, growing larger and more massive by the second to support the new muscles. This caused a burning in his stomach, giving him a feeling of nausea. Shadow coughed, trying to rid himself of the feeling but suddenly a jet of flame flew from his mouth and the burning stopped.

He felt his legs and arms grow with muscle. Bones creaked and broke apart as they snapped, rearranged and reversed themselves, forcing him onto all fours. His feet and hands grew as well, becoming paws. Shadow's five fingers and toes started to ache as they thickened and pushed against each other, merging themselves together until he had four fingers and three toes. The fingernails and toenails on his paws lengthened, sharpening themselves into thick black curved claws. Shadow groaned in pain as he felt bones in his body move, ripping themselves apart before reconfiguring into strong thick ones.

Shadow's spine stretched as the vertebral column grew outward, causing his body to lengthen. A tail burst from the base of his spine and lengthened until it was a full meter long. Pain suddenly filled his shoulders as they were wrenched open, broadening and splitting in two as massive bat-like wings unfolded from his back. His neck stretched outward, growing longer and wider while extending as bones snapped, popping themselves into new places. This caused his face to crack and lengthen, jutting forward as his mouth and nose fused together to become a muzzle. Razor sharp fangs replaced his teeth and his tongue split in two at the tip as it grew thinner, becoming forked.

He closed his eyes in pain as he felt them move slightly to the sides of his head. When he opened them, they had turned into cat-like slits. He could see in both ultraviolet and infrared light. Two curved horns grew out of the top of his head, and his ears became three spine fans. His muscles twisted and rippled, strengthening and growing in mass across his body as he continued to grow larger in height, reaching a gargantuan size.

The transformation came to an end and in place of Shadow was a gigantic black and red dragon. He turned his head towards Galbatorix and roared. Galbatorix smirked and looked at the newly transformed dragon with pride.

"This transformation is permanent, by the way. Now...since you are under my command, you will tell me what this emerald is!" Galbatorix yelled.

Shadow growled and tried to disobey but found that he couldn't. He was an unwilling servant to Galbatorix, just as Murtagh and Thorn were. The dragon looked at the emerald and sent his thoughts to Galbatorix.

_That is a Chaos Emerald, _he said. _Where I come from, they hold immense power and can do anything, even transform thoughts into power. There are seven in all. If someone collects all seven and they will be invincible._

Galbatorix looked at the emerald and a evil glint appeared in his eyes. "Are the rest of the emeralds here?"

_I do not know. It is possible that since this emerald is here, the rest may be in Alagaesia also. You will have to search for them._

"Excellent," Galbatorix said. "I was right to summon you, Shadow. With another dragon at my side, we will surely win this war!"

* * *

At that very moment, a portal opened up in the sky and six Chaos Emeralds appeared. They glowed brightly and shot out in different directions, scattering across the land of Alagaesia waiting to be found.


	13. Training With Glaedr

Chapter 13: Training With Glaedr  


Sonic and Saphira flew through the air heading towards Ellesmera. Eragon rode on Saphira and kept a look out for the city. A massive forest appeared in the distance and in the center of the forest was the elven city of Ellesmera. They descended into the forest until the two dragons landed in a clearing. Eragon got off of Saphira and saw Oromis's hut. He walked up and knocked on the door. A few minutes later, Oromis opened the door and saw Eragon.

"How was your trip to the Varden?" he asked.

"It was good," Eragon said. "Arya said that she wants Sonic, Saphira and I to infiltrate the king's headquarters in a few days. She and the Varden are moving to Surda also."

Oromis thought about this. "What does she hope to gain from you attacking Uru'baen?"

Eragon shrugged. "She said something about a distraction. Anyway, we were attacked while at the Varden headquarters by Murtagh. He was looking for Sonic, and wanted to capture him. Sonic and Thorn battled but they retreated for now. That is why the Varden are moving to Surda. We came her so that you could train Sonic on his abilities."

The elf nodded. "I can help you. When are you going to attack?"

Eragon shrugged. "She didn't say when. Perhaps when they move to Surda they'll tell us."

Oromis sighed, contemplating what Eragon had said. Finally, he spoke. "Come with me; Glaedr will want to know about this. I will have him train Sonic, if that's okay with him." He looked at the male dragon, who nodded.

_Fine by me, _Sonic said. He waited until Oromis and Eragon got on Saphira's back, and then flew into the air. A few minutes later they landed in a clearing and saw Glaedr resting. The golden dragon saw them land and got to his feet, walking forwards toward Sonic. Eragon and Oromis dismounted Saphira and bowed at the dragon to show their respect.

Glaedr looked at them and bowed his head. _It is good to see you again, Sonic. I assume you have come here for my help?_

Sonic nodded. _I want to learn more about my abilities as a dragon. Could you train me, Glaedr?_

_I see that you have much potential for a dragon. I will train you. But I sense that you have something to ask me also._

The male dragon looked at Eragon, who nodded. _We have come to ask you and Oromis for help. Arya wants us to infiltrate Galbatorix's castle and attack it, but we are not sure if that will work. She said that if we create a distraction that it will draw the king's attention to the Varden once more, allowing us to focus on attacking his castle. When we were in Farthen Dur when Murtagh attacked us demanding to capture Sonic. There was a fierce battle and he retreated. Now to make sure that Galbatorix does not send more minions, they are moving the headquarters to Surda._

Glaedr let out a soft growl. _That is a wise decision. Once you and I are done training, we shall see what they are up to. You mentioned attacking Galbatorix's castle, did you not?  
_

_That is what Arya wanted us to do, _Sonic said.

_You will have to do so eventually. Now let me begin your training. First of all, have you ever heard of the Ancient Language?_

_Eragon mentioned it once but never explained it._

_Then I will tell you, _Glaedr said. _It is an old language that was originally used by all the beings of Alagaesia but is now only used by elves and Dragon Riders. For example, _  
_skulblaka_ _means dragon in the Ancient Language. It is also used to command magic. In addition to that, it is impossible to lie in the Ancient Language because words spoken in the language are true. Galbatorix also uses the Ancient Language to force people to swear oaths that cannot be broken unless they change their true name.  
_

Sonic looked confused. _What is a true name? _he asked.

_A person's true name is a group of words in the Ancient Language that summarize their existence. Knowing a true name gives you power over it. If someone else learns a person's true name, they could control them. _

_Do I have a true name? _Sonic asked Glaedr.

_Everyone has a true name,_ Glaedr said._ I might be able to tell you when you are ready, or you could figure it out for yourself in time. But on to different matters. Have you been practicing on your mental barriers?  
_

The blue dragon nodded.

Glaedr bowed his head in acknowledgement. _Then let me test you._

He plunged his consciousness into Sonic's mind. The blue dragon roared in pain but then put his mental barriers up. Glaedr felt a great force of resistance and found that he couldn't read Sonic's mind. He withdrew his consciousness from the dragon's mind and snorted.

_You have done well, _he said. _I think that is enough for today. We will keep training tomorrow._

Sonic nodded and looked back at Eragon. The Rider nodded and smiled at the dragon. Suddenly a flash of light caught Eragon's eye and he darted away into the forest. Sonic gave a confused look but waited. As Eragon ran into the forest, he saw a bright blue emerald. He picked it up and was shocked to see that it was glowing. Curiously, he took it back to Sonic. When the dragon saw the emerald, his eyes widened in shock.

_Where did you find this? _The dragon asked urgently.

_It was in the forest, _Eragon told him. _Do you know what it is?_

Sonic snarled. _What you are holding is a very important object from Earth. It is called a Chaos Emerald._


	14. Chaos Emeralds

Chapter 14: Chaos Emeralds

Eragon looked at Sonic, confused. He gazed at the emerald again, amazed by its shape and color. Oromis and Glaedr walked up and looked at it also. The emerald glowed softly and Sonic growled, knowing what it was doing.

_What is this? _Eragon asked the dragon. _You said that it is very important. Is this emerald from your home planet?_

Sonic nodded his head. _This is a Chaos Emerald. There are seven in all. It is said that if you collect all seven then you will be invincible. There is also the Master Emerald, which is a huge emerald that controls the seven Chaos Emeralds. My friend Knuckles the Echidna often guards the master Emerald but sometimes joins me and my friends on our adventures._

The Dragon Rider glanced at the emerald again and smiled. He held it up to Sonic, who dipped his head towards the emerald and touched it with his muzzle. Suddenly the Chaos Emerald started to glow, blinding them all in a flash of blue light. Sonic's eyes widened as he was forced to see a vision coming from the Chaos Emerald. He saw Galbatorix summoning Shadow and transforming him into a dragon; also, another Chaos Emerald, this one green, could be seen in Galbatorix's hand. Shadow was telling him what it was and the evil king grinned. Then the light faded and the vision came to an end.

Sonic growled in anger at what he saw. Eragon and Saphira looked at him in concern.

_What did you see? _Saphira asked.

Sonic said nothing and snarled, leaning his head back. He spread out his wings and let out an angry roar that echoed across the forest. Eragon and Oromis flinched as they sensed the anger Sonic was releasing. Once Sonic had calmed down, he looked at them.

_The Chaos Emerald has shown me a vision, _he told them. _My friend Shadow the Hedgehog has been summoned here by Galbatorix, and is now under his command. The problem is, Galbatorix has transformed him into a dragon and has another Chaos Emerald. We need to stop him!  
_

Eragon tensed up and turned to Oromis. "This has become a problem. If Galbatorix has summoned one of Sonic's friends and turned him into a dragon under his command, he could easily summon more people from Earth and do the same thing."

Oromis nodded. "Sonic said there are seven Chaos Emeralds, right?"

_That is true, _Sonic told him. _The Chaos Emeralds grant someone unimaginable power if found. We need to find the rest and make sure that Galbatorix does not. Also, there is the Master Emerald which controls the Chaos Emeralds but unfortunately that is back at Angel Island on Earth._

The Rider nodded and sighed, looking at Saphira. _These Chaos Emeralds seem very powerful._

_I agree, _Saphira said. She looked at Sonic and blushed. _I just wanted to say that...I admire you. __You seem to know a lot about these emeralds, Sonic.  
_

The blue male dragon blushed as well. He lowered his head and looked at the emerald once more. Suddenly it started to glow once more, shooting off a bright light into the sky. A massive portal opened and a figure appeared in the sky, falling to the ground with a thud and lay unconscious. Sonic looked at the figure with recognition. It was Knuckles the Echidna.


	15. Knuckles the Echidna

Chapter 15; Knuckles the Echidna

Knuckles groaned in pain and started to stir. Eragon, Saphira and Sonic looked at him with concern. When the echidna was fully awake, he blinked and looked around. Then he saw Eragon and a curious expression formed on his face.

"Who are you?" Knuckles asked.

"I am Eragon, and you are in the land of Alagaesia. You were brought here by a Chaos Emerald."

Knuckles tensed up. "How do you know about the Chaos Emeralds? Have you taken the Master Emerald, because it's missing! You took it, didn't you? How else would you know about the Chaos Emeralds, you little thief!"

Eragon looked at Knuckles. "I didn't steal anything, so don't blame any of this on me! Have Sonic talk to you."

"Sonic is here? Where?"

Suddenly a blue dragon walked towards him and grinned. _Hey, Knuckles. How are you?_

Knuckles' eyes widened. "Sonic? is that you?"

_The one and only._

"What happened to you? Why are you a dragon?"

_It's a long story, so I better explain, _Sonic said.

He told Knuckles everything that had happened since he arrived here, and how he became a dragon. Knuckles listened in rapt attention as Sonic told the echidna about his quest here and how he had to defeat Galbatorix. Once Sonic was done telling his tale, Knuckles sighed and looked at him.

"That's quite a story," he said. "So you're a dragon forever? That's pretty cool."

Sonic nodded. _How did you get to Alagaesia, anyway?_

Knuckles shrugged. "I am not exactly sure. When I was guarding the Master Emerald at Angel Island on Earth, it started glowing and opened a portal, sending me straight here. I assume the Chaos Emeralds had something to do with it."

"I'm pretty sure they did," Eragon told him. "A few seconds before you arrived here, they started to glow, causing a portal to open up in the sky."

"That explains it then," Knuckles said. He looked at Eragon with an apologetic look. "I'm sorry for accusing you of stealing the Master Emerald; I'm very protective of it."

Eragon nodded and Sonic snorted in amusement.

_You're such a knucklehead, _the dragon said. _I see you haven't changed one bit._

Knuckles glared at Sonic and clenched his fists. "Looking for a fight, are you?"

_Even if I was, I'd easily beat you. Now that I am a dragon, I have new powers you couldn't even imagine. Also, I'd win anyway because even in this form I still have my super speed._

_I have a feeling you two are rivals? _Glaedr asked.

_Yeah, _Sonic told him. _But we've teamed up on occasion._

Knuckles calmed down and looked at Sonic. "So what can I do while I am here? Do you want me to help?"

_Sure, _Sonic said._ Shadow's here also, but he was taken by Galbatorix who transformed him into a dragon and is no under his control. We were thinking of attacking Galbatorix's castle soon anyway. Once the Varden contact us, we'll head to Uru'baen._

"Galbatorix has captured Shadow?" Knuckles asked, surprised. Then a look of confusion formed on his face. "Who are the Varden?"

_A group of fighters dedicated to overthrow Galbatorix, _Saphira said.

"Fair enough. I need to look for the Master Emerald, though. I can sense it somewhere on this planet."

Sonic and Saphira looked at Knuckles in surprise.

_If the Chaos Emeralds are here, then it would make sense that the Master Emerald is also, _Sonic told him. _Where can you sense it?_

"I have a feeling it is near a mountain range. I could lead it to you if you wish," Knuckles told him.

Sonic nodded. _We shall leave to look for it in the morning; the Chaos Emeralds need to be searched for also. Meanwhile..._ he looked at Saphira, blushing. _Saphira and I will be...talking in private._

He walked away into the woods, followed by Saphira. Knuckles watched the two dragons leave and looked at Eragon.

"I have a feeling those two like each other," he said.

Eragon nodded. "So do I. It is almost dragon mating season, so the two might choose each other as mates soon. Meanwhile, we should get some rest. It's going to be a long day tomorrow."

Knuckles nodded and lay against a tree, yawning. He closed his eyes to rest, thinking about ways he could help now that he was here in Alagaesia.


	16. Confessions

Chapter 16: Confessions  


Saphira and Sonic walked deeper into the forest until they came to a large clearing. They stopped and looked at each other fondly. A blush appeared on Sonic's snout and he looked nervous.

_So, what did you want to talk about? _Saphira asked.

Sonic sighed. _Ever since I met you, I...I've started to have feelings for you, Saphira. I really like you, and...I think I'm starting to fall for you.  
_

The female dragon said nothing and walked up to Sonic, nuzzling his face, blushing. _I...really like you also, Sonic,_ she said. _I've been developing feelings for you too._

Sonic blushed and nodded, looking away from her.

_Are you okay?_ Saphira asked. _You seem nervous._

_I...yeah, I am,_ he said, looking back at Saphira. He gulped and looked down, feeling a little scared.

Saphira nuzzled Sonic's snout once more and the two dragons lay down on the ground across from each other. Suddenly Sonic got up and walked over to Saphira, cuddling next to her. She looked at him and blushed.

_You know...dragon mating season is starting in a few days. I was wondering, would you like to...possibly be my mate?  
_

Sonic's head shot up in surprise and he gazed at her. _Um...well, I...don't know. _He said nervously. _Maybe; I'm not really sure. _

He was, in fact, thinking the same thing but was too shy to admit it. Saphira caught the hint and nodded.

_If you don't want to tell me right now, I understand, _she said.

The male dragon nodded. _I'll decide if I want to be your mate later. But...I do like you. Since I'm going to be a dragon forever, I'll have to stay here in Alagaesia anyway. I just wonder what my friends will think._

_Knuckles will understand, _Saphira told him.

_I guess you're right, _Sonic said. _Anyway, we'd better get some sleep. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow since we'll be looking for the Chaos Emeralds and the Master Emerald with Eragon and Knuckles. I just hope we don't encounter Shadow anytime soon. Do you think there might be a way to free him from Galbatorix's control?_

Saphira shrugged. _There is, yes. Shadow has to find a way to change his true name. _

_How would he do that?_

_He'd have to figure out his true name, which is known by Galbatorix at this moment, and change it so that he is out of Galbatorix's control._

Sonic nodded. _Let's hope he does that, then. Otherwise he'll be a slave forever. _

The female dragon looked at Sonic. _Another way we could free him, Murtagh and Thorn is by killing Galbatorix._

Sonic's eyes widened. _I...I don't kill people, Saphira. It's part of my morals.  
_

_I understand._

Saphira blushed again and draped one of her wings over Sonic's body. The two dragons lay close together, emotions running through their head. Sonic gazed lovingly at Saphira before yawning, showing his razor-sharp fangs. He lay his head on his paws and closed his eyes, wondering what he and Saphira would do together when mating season arrived.


	17. Search for the Emeralds

Chapter 17: Search for the Emeralds

The sun rose the next day and shone its light on Ellesmera. Saphira and Sonic lay next to each other, and opened their eyes. Sonic yawned and stood up, looking around. He saw Saphira standing up and blushed. The two dragons nuzzled against each other and stretched, flexing their muscles and digging their claws into the earth.

_Good morning, _Saphira said.

Sonic blushed and said the same thing back. He started walking out of the forest and saw Eragon, Knuckles, Oromis and Glaedr talking to each other. They stopped when the two dragons walked out and stood not far from them.

Knuckles grinned. "Had a nice date?" he joked.

Sonic growled. _Shut it, Knucklehead. We just confessed our feelings for each other, is all. Nothing happened._

The echidna nodded and sighed. "We were just talking about how to find the Chaos Emeralds," he said. "Since already have one, it shouldn't be hard to find the others. They could be anywhere in Alagaesia, but I can sense them pretty well now and I can take you to them."

_Well, where are they? _Saphira asked.

"I'm only picking up one of them right now, and that is in some sort of mountain region west of here. I'll guide you to the Chaos Emerald, but I'm not sure exactly where the mountain is located."

Saphira's eyes widened and she growled at Knuckles. _The mountain region you are describing is the Spine. it is a very dangerous trek of mountains, and it is where Eragon found the egg I was in. It is also a mountain region where Galbatorix will not step foot in, due to some...troubled history he had, which gives us an advantage. How many Chaos Emeralds do we need to find?  
_

Sonic walked up beside her and snorted in annoyance. _Galbatorix has one of the Chaos Emeralds, and we have another. That means we have five more to find. Most likely Galbatorix will be looking for them also. The Master Emerald must be found also.  
_

Knuckles nodded and looked at the two dragons. He smiled and stretched his legs. "Well, shall we be off?"

_Sure,_ Sonic told him. _The sooner we leave, the sooner we can find that emerald! _

_"_How am I going to keep up? I'm not a dragon...even though I'd very much like to be one. Could I just ride on your back?"

The male dragon hesitated and sighed, lying down on the ground. _I guess you can. Maybe later we can find out how to turn you into a dragon._

Knuckles nodded and got on Sonic's back. Eragon was sitting on Saphira, and the two dragons looked at each other. They let out roars and flapped their wings, flying high into the sky. Glaedr and Oromis watched them leave.

_Let's hope they find that Chaos Emerald in time, _Oromis told Glaedr.

Glaedr nodded. _Hopefully Galbatorix won't find it first._

Little did they know that Galbatorix was planning his next move as they spoke.

* * *

Meanwhile in Uru'baen, Galbatorix was thinking about what Shadow told him. If the dragon was correct about the chaos emeralds, he would win the war easily if he collected them. He looked up when Shadow walked in and bowed his head.

_I have detected a Chaos Emerald, _the dragon said.

_Excellent, _Galbatorix replied. _Where is it?_

_It is in a mountain region known as the Spine._

Galbatorix's eyes widened and he swore. "No! Not those goddamned mountains again!"

The king stood up and paced the room. finally he turned to look at Shadow. "Go to the Spine and get the emerald. I have a feeling that Sonic and the Rider will be there also. If you encounter them, you know what you should do."

Shadow nodded. He walked out into the courtyard, flapped his wings and flew off towards the Spine, ready to retrieve the Chaos Emerald.


	18. Battle for the Chaos Emerald

Chapter 18: Battle for the Chaos Emerald  


Sonic and Saphira flew towards the Spine. They had been flying for hours and Sonic was starting to get impatient.

_How much farther? _he asked Eragon.

_We're almost there, _Eragon said. He saw a mountain range in the distance and pointed towards it.

The male dragon nodded and flew towards the mountain range. Once they got there, Sonic and Saphira landed in a valley and looked around. Eragon and Knuckles got off the dragons, stretching. Knuckles scanned the area and grinned, holding up the blue Chaos Emerald. The emerald glowed and sent out a bright light into the sky. He turned around and looked at Eragon and the two dragons.

"There is a Chaos Emerald here. Follow me," Knuckles told them.

They followed the echidna through the valley for miles until he stopped. Everyone's eyes widened when they saw the master Emerald and a yellow Chaos Emerald. Knuckles picked up the Master Emerald and Eragon held the yellow Chaos Emerald, looking at it in awe.

"It looks like we found another Chaos Emerald," Eragon said. "Is that the Master Emerald you have?"

Knuckles smirked. "Sure is. With this, we can locate the Chaos Emeralds more quickly."

Eragon nodded and got on Saphira's back. Knuckles did the same with Sonic. The two dragons were about to take off when they heard a loud roar in the distance. They looked up and saw a gigantic black and red dragon descend and land in front of them. The dragon growled, showing his fangs, and stood his ground. Sonic roared back at the dragon, knowing who it was.

_Shadow, _Sonic said. _What are you doing here?_

The evil dragon snarled and spoke. _I've come to take that damn Chaos Emerald from you. Master Galbatorix needs it to complete his plans. Give it to me now or you shall pay the price.  
_

Sonic looked at Shadow and roared, issuing a challenge. Eragon, Saphira and Knuckles all backed away as the two dragons began to fight. They flew up into the sky towards each other as Shadow breathing fire at Sonic. Sonic dodged the fire and retaliated with one of his own. A stream of fire flew toward the Shadow, engulfing him in flame. He screeched in pain but recovered from the blow. Shadow flapped his wings and flew at Sonic, slashing his claws across the dragon's face. Sonic roared in pain and flew upward, diving at the Shadow. He took a deep breath and let out a stream of fire and slammed into Shadow's' side, burying his fangs into the the evil dragon's scaly hide.

Shadow growled in pain and shook Sonic off. The two dragons hovered in the air, staring each other down.

_You will not get the Chaos Emerald, Shadow! _Sonic yelled.

Shadow smirked. _I'll take it from you soon enough, faker. Your friends won't stop me, and I think it's time you knew that! _He held up a paw and it started glowing with Chaos Energy. _Chaos Spear! _he yelled.

Sonic's eyes widened as the spear hit his chest. He roared in pain and snarled at Shadow, surprised that he could still use his attacks even as a dragon. If Shadow could do it, then so could he. Sonic flew towards Shadow in a burst of speed, scratching the evil dragon with his claws. Shadow glared at him and tried to keep up with Sonic's super speed but couldn't make out where he was going to strike next. Suddenly a ball of fire engulfed his body and he roared loudly, sending another Chaos Spear towards Sonic.

The two dragons continued to battle, using their flame breath and claws as weapons. Suddenly Shadow stopped fighting and looked at Sonic and suddenly disappeared in a flash of light. Sonic's eyes widened as he heard screams coming from below and landed on the ground. Both Eragon, Saphira and Knuckles were out cold and Shadow held the Chaos Emerald they just found in his jaws. Sonic and sent another bust of flame towards them but Shadow disappeared, taking the emerald with him.

He heard groaning and saw Eragon, Knuckles and Saphira get up, looking around. Once Knuckles saw that the Chaos Emerald was gone, he yelled in anger.

"Shadow has the Chaos Emerald!" he yelled. "We have to get it back."

_It's not gong to be easy, _Sonic said. _Now that Shadow is under Galbatorix's control, he could defeat us easily. I saw that he still has his Chaos powers, also.  
_

Knuckles groaned. "How many dragons does Galbatorix have?"

_He has three, _Saphira told him. _Shruikan, Thorn, and now Shadow. _

"How can we defeat them?"

Sonic thought about it and then came up with an idea. _Knuckles, you said you wanted to be a dragon?_

The echidna nodded.

_We could turn you into a dragon; that way it would be an even match between us and them._

Knuckles looked confused. "But how? You said that Angela was the one who transformed you, and she's been captured!"

_We'll find a way, _Sonic asked. _Let's head back to Ellesmera now._

He lay down as Knuckles got on his back still holding the Master Emerald, and Eragon got on Saphira. The two dragons flapped their wings and flew through the air, heading back to Ellesmera.


	19. The New Dragon

Chapter 19: The New Dragon  


Shadow flew back to Uru'baen and landed in the courtyard. He walked up to Galbatorix and set the Chaos Emerald down on the floor. Galbatorix picked it up and grinned evilly.

"Excellent work, Shadow," Galbatorix said. "Was Eragon, Saphira and Sonic there?"

The dragon nodded. _Another one of Sonic's friends, Knuckles the Echidna, was there also. I fought Sonic and got the Chaos Emerald. Unfortunately, I did not know that the Master Emerald would be here also. They took it back to Ellesmera with them, and they have a Chaos Emerald too._

Galbatorix looked at Shadow and he clenched his fist in anger. "They have WHAT?" he shouted.

_The Master Emerald, _Shadow told him. _It is a gigantic emerald that controls all seven Chaos Emeralds. Knuckles is the guardian of it, and he can sense other Chaos Emeralds that are nearby when he has one. I can go get the Master Emerald if you wish.  
_

"That won't be necessary," Galbatorix said. "You can sense the emeralds, correct? We will just wait until they look for them, and then take the emeralds by force."

Shadow bowed his head and left. Once the dragon was gone, Galbatorix sighed and looked at the two Chaos Emeralds he had, eager to find another one so that he could use their power to win this war and gain control of Alagaesia.

* * *

Back at Ellesmera, Sonic was talking to Glaedr about what had happened. Glaedr listened with interest and growled at the mention of Shadow stealing the emerald. When Sonic finished his recap, the golden dragon said nothing for a moment, thinking about what Sonic has said. Finally, he spoke.

_This is most troubling, _he said. _If Galbatorix is using Shadow to do his bidding and already has two Chaos Emeralds, we must be ready for him to try again. Now, you said that Knuckles wanted to become a dragon to even out the odds between Shadow, Thorn and Shruikan?_

Sonic nodded. _That is what he want to do. Can you use a spell to transform him?_

Glaedr looked at Sonic, and then at Knuckles. He turned his thoughts to Knuckles so that the echidna could hear him. _Oromis and I have a book of spells and we can use one of them to transform you into a dragon. Keep in mind, though, that the transformation will be permanent. Are you sure this is what you want?_

The echidna hesitated and then nodded. "Yes; if I want to become a dragon to defeat the others, I will gladly do it even if it's permanent."

Oromis walked up next to Glaedr, holding the book. He sighed and said an incantation. A few minutes went by but Knuckles didn't feel any different. He looked at Oromis in confusion.

"Are you sure this will work?" he asked.

They said nothing and waited. Suddenly Knuckles felt a sharp pain in his body and knew that the spell was working. His fur hardened and turned into scales as they covered his body and his chest deepened as scutes covered it. His legs and arms thickened with muscle; the arm and knee joints reversed themselves, forcing him to fall on four legs. The hands and feet became paws and his toes merged together, becoming three digits, the five fingers becoming four. His fingernails and toenails lengthened into sharp, thick black claws. Wings sprouted from his back and his neck elongated and his face pushed out into a muzzle, his mouth becoming great, gaping powerful jaws as Knuckles' teeth lengthened, sharpening into fangs. Horns pushed out of the top of his head and spikes ran down the length of his back, ending at the tip of his now long, thick tail. His muscles twisted and rippled across his body, growing across his body and becoming stronger. Knuckles continued to grow larger in height until he reached a gigantic size. His eyes moved slightly to the sides, narrowing into cat-like slits but stayed a purple color, and his ears became three spine fans.

Finally the transformation finished. Knuckles had just transformed into a dragon. He looked at his new form, impressed with the results, and let out a prideful roar. Everyone looked at him in amazement.

_This is amazing! _Knuckles shouted. _I feel so powerful._

Sonic looked at him and grinned. _Glad you like it, Knuckles._

The red dragon nodded and flapped his wings, flying in the air for a bit. Sonic watched him fly, glad that Knuckles was happy with his new form. He glanced at Saphira.

_It looks like there's a new dragon in Alagaesia now, _he told her.

Saphira nodded and watched Knuckles fly, hoping that he would help them defeat Galbatorix once and for all.


	20. Knuckles' Vision

Chapter 20: Knuckles' Vision  


Sonic watched Knuckles land and grinned at the new dragon. The red dragon walked towards him and bowed his head in respect. Sonic nodded and let Knuckles speak.

_I just wanted to say thanks for letting me have this opportunity to help you, Eragon and Saphira on this quest, _Knuckles said. _It's just like old time when me, Tails, Shadow and the others helped you take down Eggman. But now, we're trying to stop Galbatorix instead. Is anyone else from Earth going to appear in Alagaesia also?_

The blue dragon sighed. _I'm not sure, _Sonic told him. _The Chaos Emeralds might summon someone else like they did with you. We'll have to wait and see._

Knuckles nodded._ I'll see if I can find anymore Chaos Emeralds, Sonic. The Master Emerald will tell me where they are. We need to find them before Galbatorix does; he already has two and we only have one. If we have to win this war, we need all seven. So tell me, what have you done since you've got here?_

Sonic grinned. _I have spoken with the Varden; they're a group of rebels who want Galbatorix gone. Arya, a member of the Varden, told me that she would send me a message when they get to Surda and prepare for war. She also wants us to attack Uru'baen, Galbatorix's castle. If we do that, we will have an advantage and cause a distraction for him. We must tell the Varden about the Chaos Emeralds also.  
_

The red dragon smirked and nodded. He walked past Sonic and looked in the Master Emerald. Suddenly a vision came to him, and he closed his eyes, sensing more Chaos Emeralds. When the vision was gone, he opened his eyes and looked at Sonic, Saphira and Eragon.

_I know where the other emeralds are, _he said. _We will find them as soon as we can, but it won't be easy because they are scattered across Alagaesia. Shadow and Galbatorix will be looking for them also. The nearest one is somewhere in the Beor Mountains. One of the isn't even in Alagaesia._

_What do you mean? _Eragon asked him.

Knuckles sighed. _I saw one of the emeralds on a large island far away from here. It was filled with ancient ruins._

Eragon was silent for a moment, thinking about what Knuckles had just said. Finally, he spoke. I_ do not know of any such island. We'll have to talk to Oromis about what you saw; he might know._

Knuckles nodded. He, Eragon and Sonic walked over to Oromis, who was telling Glaedr something. Once he saw them, he broke his mental conversation with his dragon and turned his attention to the Rider and the two dragons waiting for them to speak.

_We have located the rest of the Chaos Emeralds, _Sonic told him. _The Master Emerald gave Knuckles a vision and showed him where the emeralds are.  
_

"Where are they?" Oromis asked.

"One of them is in the Beor Mountains, and there is another one on an island that is not in Alagaesia," Eragon told him. "Knuckles said that it has many ruins and looks very ancient. Do you know where that is?"

Oromis's eyes widened and he gasped, then nodded. "Yes...it is the island Vroengard, home of the Dragon Riders. The city of Doru Araeba was their capital but now the city lies in ruins."

Eragon frowned. "What happened?"

"Before the fall of the Riders, the island was the battle site between Galbatorix and the Dragon Riders. Unfortunately, Galbatorix and his army won and wiped out the Dragon Riders. It is also where the famous Rock of Kuthian is located, where it is rumored hides the Vault of Souls, a hidden cache that is rumored to hide something very valuable the Dragon Riders left behind."

Sonic and Knuckles exchanged looks.

_We must go there,_ Sonic told him. _There is a Chaos Emerald there anyway, and I am curious to see what is hidden in the Vault of Souls._

Knuckles nodded and looked at Oromis. _When should we leave?_

Oromis shrugged. _I am not sure; you said you know where all the other emeralds are?_

_Yes, I do. We should find the ones in Alagaesia first and then go to Vroengard last._

"Sounds like a plan," Eragon said to Oromis. "Galbatorix may not know that the emerald is on the island, so that gives us an advantage."

"Then we'll head there soon," Oromis replied.

Sonic nodded and walked away, while Knuckles started talking to Glaedr. The blue dragon saw Saphira in the forest and lay down next to her, nuzzling her snout gently.

_Knuckles has located the rest of the Chaos Emeralds, _he said.

_That's great, _Saphira responded. She yawned and closed her eyes to rest.

Sonic looked at her fondly with a grin on his snout and closed his eyes also. A few minutes later, however, he was woke by the sound of roaring. He got up and ran out of the forest, eyes wide in shock when he saw the Master Emerald giving off a giant beam of light that shot into the sky. Knuckles stood by it, growling, wondering what was going on. Suddenly a portal opened and a person fell out of it and landed on the ground. Sonic grinned as he recognized who it was: his best friend, Miles "Tails" Prower.


	21. The Appearance of Tails

Chapter 21: The Appearance of Tails  


Everyone watched as Tails got up and looked around. He gasped as he saw the three dragons and his eyes widened in amazement; he never thought that he would see these mythical creatures because they didn't exist on Earth. Sonic and Knuckles growled and walked up to him, bowing their heads and allowing Tails to rub their snouts.

"Where...where am I?" he asked out loud.

_You are in Alagaesia, S_onic told him. _This is the city of Ellesmera._

Tails stared at the dragon, astonished that it could speak in his head. "Who are you?" he asked. "Did you summon me here?"

The dragon grinned. _Tails, it's me...Sonic!_

"What happened to you? How did you become a dragon?"

Sonic told him everything. After he was done explaining, Tails saw a red dragon standing beside him. "I'm guessing that's Knuckles?"

The red dragon nodded. _I was summoned here also by the Chaos Emeralds and got transformed into a dragon. Apparently Sonic told me that Shadow came here too.  
_

"Shadow's here also? Where is he?" Tails urgently asked.

Knuckles hesitated. _He was summoned here by Galbatorix, the evil king, and was transformed into a dragon under his command. Sonic, Eragon, Saphira and I are trying to defeat him. Would you like to help? We are trying to find the rest of the Chaos Emeralds; he has two and we only have one, but I know where the others are.  
_

Tails grinned. "Of course I'll help! It will be like another adventure for the Sonic Heroes. Where are the emeralds?"

Eragon looked at Tails and spoke. "Knuckles told us that one of them is on the island Vroengard, and the rest are here in Alagaesia. We were thinking of finding the ones here in Alagaesia first and then going to the island last."

"Yeah, let's do that! When will we leave?"

"Sonic and Knuckles wanted to leave tomorrow. I'm going too, and so is Saphira. Oromis and Glaedr will stay here."

Tails grinned and looked at Sonic, who nodded. The male dragon glanced at Saphira and blushed, which Tails noticed. He came to the conclusion that Saphira and Sonic liked each other, but he decided not to say anything. The fox glanced around and saw a Chaos Emerald and the Master Emerald. He walked over to them and picked the Chaos Emerald up, looking at it. Knuckles walked up to him and stared at the emerald in Tails' hand.

"How did the Chaos Emeralds get here?" Tails asked.

_Beats me, _Knuckles said. _They probably came here with Shadow. _

The fox nodded and walked over to Sonic. The dragon was talking to Glaedr and once they were done, the two dragons looked at him.

_We were just discussing what we would do if Shadow decided to attack and try to get the Chaos Emerald like he did last time, _Sonic said. _He has become very strong since he's been under Galbatorix's control, and we have to fight him sooner or later._

"That's cool," Tails said. "Let's hope we can."

He smiled at Sonic and lay down under a tree to rest. Sonic looked back at Glaedr and the two continued to talk.

_We must be on our guard, _Glaedr told him. _If Shadow decides to attack again, or one of the other dragons, we have to prepare ourselves. Fortunately, if one of us dies, we dragons have our heart of hearts to protect us. _

Sonic looked confused and was about to ask what that meant when Glaedr spoke again.

_I will tell you what a dragons' heart of hearts is when you get back, _he said. _Finding the next Chaos Emerald is your main priority right now, and I have a feeling that Tails will play a role in this quest also._

The blue male dragon nodded and thanked Glaedr. Sonic looked at Tails once more, wondering what Glaedr meant. Then he walked back into the forest and lay down to sleep, excited that his best friend was here to help them.


	22. Retrieving Another Emerald

Chapter 22: Retrieving Another Emerald  


The next day, everyone was ready to go. Eragon and Tails stood by Knuckles, Saphira and Sonic, eager to find the next Chaos Emerald. The Dragon Rider smiled and got on Saphira's back and Tails looked at Sonic with excitement. Sonic saw his friend's expression and a grin appeared on his snout.

_Would you like to ride on my back_? Sonic asked.

Tails grinned and nodded. "Yeah! That would be awesome, Sonic!"

The dragon lay down, allowing Tails to sit on his back. Tails grabbed hold of Sonic's neck and waited. Suddenly, Sonic let out a loud roar and took off into the air along with Saphira and Knuckles. Tails laughed in astonishment and looked down, seeing the scenery fly by. He grabbed Sonic's neck tighter and held on as the dragon angled his wings and flew lower. The three dragons flew for hours until they saw the outline of the Beor Mountains and started to descend.

"Hey Sonic," Tails said. "Can I ask you something?"

_Go ahead, _Sonic replied.

_"_What's it like being a dragon?"

_It's awesome, _Sonic told him. _The ability to fly, breathe fire, immortality..._

Tails' eyes widened. "Immortality?"

_Dragons are immortal; didn't you know that? They can still be killed but don't age. That's what Glaedr told me, anyway. He also said that a Dragon Rider can live on if their dragon is killed but if a Rider dies, then so does their dragon.  
_

"That's very interesting," Tails said.

Sonic nodded, and continued to descend. Once the three dragons had landed, Eragon and Tails jumped to the ground and looked at them.

"So where is the Chaos Emerald?" Eragon asked Knuckles.

_Follow me, _Knuckles said. He walked down the valley, followed by Sonic, Saphira, Eragon, and Tails. A few minutes later they saw something glowing and Tails picked it up, seeing that it was a red Chaos Emerald. He grinned and held it up so that everyone could see.

"I found it!" Tails yelled. "Let's head back!"

Sonic nodded and Tails got on his back again. They flexed their wings and flew into the air, heading back to Ellesmera.

* * *

Meanwhile in Uru'baen, Shadow had sensed another Chaos Emerald. He walked up to Galbatorix and told him about it. The king was excited but at the same time unhappy because he had not been told sooner.

"Where is the emerald?" Galbatorix asked.

_Sonic and his friends have it and are heading back to Ellesmera, _Shadow told him.

Galbatorix looked angry. "Then go to Ellesmera, take the emerald, and kill them if you have to!" he yelled.

Shadow nodded, and flew off to Ellesmera to confront Sonic and his friends.

* * *

Once Tails, Eragon, and the three dragons got back to Ellesmera, they saw Oromis and Glaedr waiting for them. The elf bowed and walked up to Sonic.

"Did you get the emerald?" he asked.

Tails jumped down from the dragon's back and showed it to him. Oromis's eyes gleamed with interest and examined it. He nodded in satisfaction and looked back at Sonic.

_Glaedr wanted to speak to you,_ the elf told Sonic and Knuckles. _It is very important._

Sonic nodded and the two dragons walked over to Glaedr, bowing their heads in respect. The golden dragon growled and looked at him. _I have something to tell you, _Glaedr said. _Consider this another lesson._

_What is it? _Sonic asked.

A smirk appeared on Glaedr's face. _It is time you two learned about Eldunari._


	23. Eldunari

Chapter 23: Eldunari_  
_

Knuckles and Sonic looked at Glaedr in confusion. They had never heard of Eldunari before, and were wondering what Glaedr was going to say about them.

_What are Eldunari? _Sonic asked.

Glaedr gave a draconic grin. _An Eldunari, also known as the heart of hearts, is the gem-like organ of a dragon. __They are used by dragons as a means of storing our consciousness, allowing us to stay "alive" if we die. When dragons store their consciousness inside an Eldunari, it glows the same color as their scales._

Sonic's eyes gleamed with interest. _That is very cool, _he said. _But_ w_hy are you telling us this?_

_Because__ if one of you gets killed, you could transfer your consciousness to your Eldunari if you want,_ Glaedr told him. _An Eldunari is very powerful, and has a profound source of magical energy. The larger an Eldunari is, the more energy it can store. Since it's essentially the dragon's consciousness the dragon inside it can still communicate to other people._

Knuckles looked at Sonic. _I__t kind of sounds like Tikal's spirit ball form._

_I can tell that this is much more complex, Knuckles, _Sonic told him. He turned back to Glaedr. _So, how would we get our Eldunari out of our bodies?_

Glaedr glanced at him. _You would spit it out, _he said. _Make sure that it is safe. An Eldunari can be broken, but a dragon cannot do it by himself; he'd have another person do it for him. One other reason that an Eldunari is so powerful is because the person in possession of it gains an enormous increase of their mental powers. If Galbatorix gets any Eldunari, he would become even more powerful. Also once an Eldunari is removed from the dragon's body it cannot be returned to its original position and the dragon would become the Eldunari permanently._

Sonic and Knuckles listened with rapt attention to what Glaedr said, and nodded.

_This has been very interesting, _Knuckles said. _Thanks for the information._

The golden dragon said nothing and bowed his head. A few minutes later, Tails walked up to them and cleared his throat.

"What have you three been talking about?" he asked.

_I'll tell you later,_ Sonic said. _Did you want to say something?_

Tails nodded. "I was just wondering when we're going to find the next Chaos Emerald. If Galbatorix is also searching for them, then we need to find them quickly."

_We will. Knuckles has located the rest of them, anyway, and we do plan to get them. Also, the Varden have yet to contact us. If Arya comes, I can tell her then but we also need to be on the lookout for Shadow. If he attacks when we are searching for a Chaos Emerald like he did last time, we'll have to be prepared. He has grown more powerful now that he is a dragon._

Sonic stopped talking and looked at Tails. The fox was about to say something when they all heard a loud roar in the distance. Sonic looked up in the sky and saw the shape of a gigantic black dragon descend towards them and knew that it was Shadow. The dragon landed and a menacing growl came from his throat.


	24. Glaedr Verses Shadow

Chapter 24: Glaedr Verses Shadow

Tails saw Shadow and gasped. The black dragon growled menacingly, showing his fangs while walking slowly towards them. Knuckles and Sonic looked at him and growled back. The three dragons glared at each other, not moving. Shadow let out a mighty roar but stood his ground. He saw the Chaos Emeralds and the Master Emerald behind Knuckles and grinned.

_What are you doing here, Shadow? _Sonic asked.

The black dragon snarled at him. _I have come to take the damn Chaos Emeralds and the Master Emerald from you, Sonic. Galbatorix wants them, and I will not leave until I have them! Give the emeralds to me now!  
_

Knuckles walked up to him. _That's not going to happen, Shadow. The emeralds stay here; we need them to take down Galbatorix. He is controlling you._

Shadow let out a growl. _If you do not give them to me, then I will take them by force!_

He opened his mouth and exhaled a jet of flame. Knuckles did the same, and the two streams of fire met, colliding with each other. Shadow closed his mouth and the fire disappeared.

_So, it's a fight you want, is it? _Knuckles asked. _B__ring it on!_

He was about to charge at Shadow when he heard Glaedr's voice in his head.

_Stop, _Glaedr said as he walked up beside Knuckles, Oromis sitting on his back. O_romis and I shall fight him. he has already bested you and Sonic once; it is our turn to fight now.  
_

_Are you crazy? _Knuckles asked. _H__e'll kill you! When Sonic and I first fought him, even we couldn't beat him! He's too powerful, even for you!_

Glaedr looked at him. _Even so, we must fight. Galbatorix must be stopped, and we need to help also._

_But..._

_Knuckles, let them fight, _Sonic told the him. _It is their choice and we must respect them. Even if they do die, we still have a chance at defeating the king.  
_

The red dragon glanced at Glaedr and snorted. _Fine, _he said. _Sonic and I will stay out of your way._

Glaedr nodded and faced Shadow. The two dragons stared at each other for a moment before speaking.

_So you have decided to face me? _Shadow asked. _You are a damn fool, Glaedr. After I kill you, I shall take the emeralds back to my master and we will be close to having all seven._

The golden dragon said nothing and roared. Glaedr and Shadow both flapped their wings, flying into the air. They flew toward each other, breathing fire. Shadow dodged the fire and retaliated with one of his own. A stream of fire flew toward Glaedr, engulfing him in flame. He screeched in pain but recovered from the blow. Glaedr flapped his wings and flew at the Shadow, slashing the evil dragon's face with his claws. Shadow roared in pain and flew upward then dove at the Glaedr. The evil dragon took a deep breath and let out a stream of fire that surrounded Glaedr.

Oromis looked around and summoned magic, blasting the fire away. _We must be careful, Glaedr. Who knows what Shadow has planned? _he told his dragon.

_I agree, G_laedr said. He flew out of the fire, looking around for Shadow. Suddenly something slammed into his side and Glaedr saw Shadow burying his fangs into the Glaedr's scaly hide. The golden dragon roared in pain and tried to throw the foe off but couldn't. Suddenly, pain erupted in the Glaedr's throat. Shadow had clamped down on Glaedr's neck, holding on tight. He then closed his jaws around the golden dragon's neck and released as blood from the dragon flowed out of his neck. Glaedr roared and flew towards Shadow but the evil dragon suddenly disappeared. Glaedr stopped and looked around wildly for Shadow but couldn't find him.

_Where is he? _the golden dragon asked his rider.

_He must have teleported! _Oromis exclaimed.

Suddenly, Glaedr saw a spear fly towards him and dodged it. He turned his head and saw Shadow hovering above him, summoning a Chaos Spear. Shadow threw the spear at Glaedr, who tried dodging it. Unfortunately, the spear went through Oromis's chest. The Dragon Rider gasped in pain as blood dripped from the wound. He struggled to speak and swayed, then toppled from Glaedr's back and fell to the ground. Glaedr roared loudly and saw Shadow opening his mouth, showing his blood-stained fangs, and took a deep breath, then exhaled a massive ball of flame, which hit the golden dragon upon impact. Glaedr cried out in agony, then fell to the ground and landed with a crash, smoke flowing from his body.

_NO! _Sonic screamed, and ran towards Oromis and Glaedr. The Rider and dragon were weak, and were on death's door. Glaedr looked at Sonic with a sorry look in his eyes.

_I...I am sorry I...couldn't defeat him, Sonic,_ Glaedr said. _Promise me you, Eragon, Saphira, Knuckles and Tails will defeat Galbatorix once and for all. _

Sonic nodded and glanced at Oromis. The Dragon Rider was breathing hard and saw Sonic. He smiled and struggled to speak but couldn't. Then his breathing stopped and he passed away. Glaedr had died also. Sonic started growling and looked to the sky, letting out a loud angry roar.


	25. Aftermath

Chapter 25; Aftermath

Shadow landed and looked at Sonic. The blue dragon glared at Shadow in hatred and snarled.

_You killed them! _Sonic shouted. _Why would you do such a thing?_

The evil dragon growled. _I had my orders from Galbatorix. Now give me your Chaos Emeralds and the Master Emerald or I'll send you straight to hell!_

_Never! _Sonic told him. Shadow snarled and looked behind him, seeing the emeralds. He smirked and ran towards them but Knuckles slammed his body against Shadow's. The two dragons tumbled to the ground but Knuckles got up and grappled Shadow so that he couldn't move.

Knuckles held Shadow down and growled menacingly. _L__eave now, before I decide to really hurt you. Tell Galbatorix that we will continue to fight and will never give these emeralds up. _

He let Shadow up, and the black dragon looked at him. Then with a loud roar, Shadow spread his wings and took off into the air, flying back to Uru'baen. Once he was out of sight, Knuckles and Sonic turned to the dead bodies of Glaedr and Oromis. The two dragons sighed and turned away, looking at Tails, Saphira and Eragon. The dragon Rider glanced past them to see the bodies and tears streamed down his face.

_Are you okay? _Saphira asked him.

Eragon frowned and shook his head, wiping the tears from his face. He sniffed and looked back at Sonic. "What are we going to do now? Glaedr and Oromis are dead, and we're outmatched! You saw what Shadow did to them; he could easily kill us also."

Sonic thought about what Eragon said. _We must battle him and the other dragons eventually, Eragon. Also, we must find the rest of the Chaos Emeralds if we need to defeat him._

"If we do that, Shadow or one of Galbatorix's minions could find us and take the emerald!" Tails said. "How are we going to get the Chaos Emeralds without them finding us?"

Knuckles looked at him and shrugged. _W__e'll just have to find them and hope they don't come after us, _he told Tails. G_albatorix has two and so do we. But we also have the Master Emerald, which shows us where the Chaos Emeralds are and even controls them. That gives us a distinct advantage._

Tails looked at the two dragons and sighed, nodding in agreement.

Sonic looked up to the sky saw that it was getting dark. He walked up to Saphira and the two dragons blushed. Saphira licked Sonic and grinned.

_I'm glad you're okay, _Saphira said. _I was worried that Shadow might try and fight you._

_I've beaten him before; it's nothing I can't handle,_ Sonic told her. _Now...I have the feeling you wanted to tell me something?_

Saphira nodded and licked him again, blushing madly. The male dragon looked at her in confusion at the way she was acting but said nothing and let Saphira speak.

_Sonic, _Saphira said._ It's mating season._


	26. Mating Season

Chapter 26: Mating Season  


Sonic stared at Saphira in shock. He looked around nervously at everyone watching them and then back at Saphira. He sighed and walked into the forest with Saphira following him. When they were alone, Sonic looked at Saphira and blushed.

_I...um...don't know what to say, Saphira,_ Sonic told her._ I do have feelings for you, and...I know you do to.  
_

Saphira grinned and nuzzled his snout. _I love you, Sonic. Have you made your decision to be my mate?_

The blue male dragon looked at her, and then after a moment's hesitation, nodded. He lay down beside her, cuddling against Saphira's body. _Yes, Saphira, _Sonic said._ I will gladly be your mate. I love you too, and nothing will change how I feel about you. But I do have a quick question: if we mate, will you get...pregnant?  
_

The female dragon looked taken aback by that question but answered anyway. _It is possible, Sonic. I would love to have kids if you want to also._

Sonic looked at her. _I would too._

Saphira smiled and suddenly bit Sonic's tail. The male dragon flinched in surprise and growled a little but assumed that this was the beginning of the mating process. He was right. As soon as Saphira bit his tail, an overwhelming scent filled his nostrils and he roared, pouncing on her. The two dragons rolled around on the ground, their instincts driving each other to mate. Sonic growled suggestively and looked at Saphira with lust-filled eyes. He started licking her with deep passion. Saphira growled, aroused in ecstasy and licked Sonic back.

The two dragons then stood up on their hind legs, holding each other's front legs and locked in that position. Sonic's instincts were fully telling him what to do. He flapped his wings along with Saphira, and the two took to the sky, flying through the air.

Sonic growled in pleasure and began licking Saphira's belly again. The male dragon looked at her and the two continued their flight. His hind legs wrapped around hers along with intertwining tails together. Soon, they were pressed together close enough to thrust. He flew with Saphira holding on below him, doing loops in the air like a majestic dance. Soon, Saphira moaned as she felt a climax and looked at Sonic, smiling. The male dragon pushed her apart and she flipped herself around, flapping her own wings to hover in midair. Sonic hovered also and grinned.

_Shall we do it again? _He asked.

Saphira nodded and intertwined Sonic's tail with hers and flew through the air. The two dragons did this for hours before finally reaching another climax and released. Once they were done, they dove towards the ground and landed next to each other. Sonic lay down and blushed madly, licking Saphira's face. The female dragon blushed also and growled softly.

_That was amazing, _she said. _You did the mating ritual well, despite never doing it before._

Sonic chuckled. _Let's just say it was my instincts. The way we mated was very satisfying.  
_

The female dragon smiled and gazed at Sonic lovingly, then licked him once again before falling asleep. Sonic sighed and thought about what had just happened. Now that they had mated, Saphira was bound to give birth soon.

_How long until you give birth? _Sonic asked.

Saphira looked at him. _Usually it takes about a month until a female dragon lays their eggs, and then a few days before they hatch._

_That's wonderful, Saphira. You've made me extremely happy, and I can't wait for us to have kids._

The male dragon yawned and closed his eyes, going to sleep. He was looking forward to it.


	27. Dragon Tails

Chapter 27: Dragon Tails  


The next day, Sonic and Saphira woke up and walked out of the forest. Tails, Eragon and Knuckles looked at them and the two mates blushed in embarrassment.

_So...did you two have a good time? _Knuckles said, chuckling. _If you know what I mean._

Sonic growled. _Shut it, Knucklehead. You know full well what we did. Saphira and I just became mates._

"I'm happy for you, Sonic!" Tails told him.

_Thanks, Tails. What do you think of us being mates?_

"It's pretty cool that you and Saphira love each other. Are you going to have kids?"

The male dragon looked at his mate and back to Tails. _I__t is possible, _he said. _  
_

Tails nodded and sighed. "I feel bad about Shadow. He's under the control of an evil king. Is there any way he could break free of Galbatorix's control?"

_Yes, there is. Glaedr told me that Shadow would have to change his true name, which would break him from Galbatorix's control. I'm not sure how he would do that, though._

"Well, at least he didn't get the Chaos Emeralds and the Master Emerald," Tails said. He walked over to one of the Chaos Emeralds and picked it up, looking at it. Suddenly a bright light shone from it and Tails gasped in pain.

_Tails! _Sonic yelled. _What is it?_

Tails clutched his stomach in pain and looked at the dragon. "I...I'm not sure. I think the Chaos Emerald did something to me but..." He gasped again and yelled in pain. Suddenly, he began to transform.

His fur turned into hard orange scales and his chest deepened as scutes covered it. His legs and arms thickened with muscle, the arm and knee joints reversed themselves, forcing him to fall on four legs. His two tails thickened and merged into one long tail with the fur hardening into scales. Hands and feet became paws and his five toes and fingers merged together into four. His fingernails and toenails lengthened into sharp, thick black claws. Wings sprouted from his back. Tails' neck elongated and his face pushed out into a muzzle, mouth becoming great, gaping powerful jaws as teeth lengthened, sharpening into fangs. Horns pushed out of each side of his skull as spikes ran down the length of his back all the way to the tip of his tail. He grew in size until he became a foot shorter than Knuckles was as a dragon. His eyes moved slightly to the sides, narrowing into cat-like slits, ears became three spine fans. With that, the transformation stopped.

The new dragon looked at himself in amazement and saw Sonic, who was much bigger that him. _What happened to me? _he asked.

Sonic's eyes widened and he growled. _The Chaos Emerald you were holding transformed you into a dragon!_

_That...that's awesome, Sonic! _Tails exclaimed. _Is this transformation permanent?_

_I am not sure, _Sonic replied. _I have a feeling it is, since my transformation was, and so was Knuckles'. Do you mind?_

The orange dragon shook his head. _That__'s fine. This form is actually really cool; I love it. So, when are we going to find the rest of the Chaos Emeralds?_

Knuckles walked up to him. _We'll find the rest soon; I know where they are and I will take you to them. Now that you are a dragon, you are much more powerful that your normal self. Sonic and I are both glad that you are going to help us, Tails.  
_

_Thanks a lot, _Tails said. _I'm glad I could help. _

A few minutes later, a female elf appeared in front of them. Knuckles and tails roared in surprise but Sonic recognized her and grinned.

_Arya, _Sonic said. _I haven't seen you in a while. What do you want?_

The elf cleared her throat and began to speak. I just wanted to tell you that the Varden have moved to Surda. I wish to talk to you about the attack on Galbatorix's castle as soon as possible. Can you come to Surda?"

_We will, but not right away. My friends and I have to find something first. _

Arya looked confused but nodded. "Very well; find what you're looking for. After you've completed your search, then come to Surda. By the way, who are these dragons?" She asked, motioning to Knuckles and Tails.

Sonic looked at her. _These are my friends Knuckles and Tails. They were summoned here also and transformed into dragons._

"Well, we need all the help we can get," Arya said. "I shall see you soon."

She teleported away, leaving Sonic to ponder what she said.


	28. Two Plans

Chapter 28: Two Plans  


Sonic looked at Tails, who looked confused. The orange dragon walked up to him and spoke.

_Who was that, Sonic? _Tails asked.

The blue dragon grinned. _That was Arya, a member of the Varden. They're a group of freedom fighters who want to stop Galbatorix. Eragon, Saphira and I told her that we would help them. Once we find the rest of the Chaos Emeralds, then we shall head over to Surda to see what she wants._

Tails and Knuckles nodded in agreement. They looked at each other and back at Sonic, wondering when he would do that. A few minutes later, Knuckles growled and looked at Sonic.

_We had better find the rest of the Chaos Emeralds now, _he told the blue dragon. _I know where they are, so we should have no trouble finding them. If Shadow or Murtagh show up while we are finding them, however, that would be very bad and we will have to make sure they don't find us when we search for the rest of the Chaos Emeralds.  
_

_It's a chance we'll have to take, _Sonic told him. _Where is the nearest emerald?_

The red dragon closed his eyes, going into a trance. The Master Emerald lit up, showing him though a vision where the rest of the Chaos Emeralds were. Once it was over, Knuckles opened his eyes and looked at them.

_The rest of the Chaos Emeralds will not be hard to find, _Knuckles said. _The last two here in Alagaesia I saw in the Hadarac Desert and some sort of fortress called Helgrind._ _The last one, however, is on Vroengard. We will get the ones here and the go to Vroengard last. _

Eragon and Saphira looked up when they heard the word "Helgrind." Eragon grit his teeth in frustration and Saphira let out a loud roar. Knuckles, Tails and Sonic looked at them in confusion.

_What's wrong? _Tails asked them.

"Helgrind is a very dark and evil place," Eragon told the orange dragon. "The creatures known as the Ra'zac live there, and are servants of Galbatorix. The fortress itself is not too far away from Uru'baen. We will be flying near the castle in order to get to Helgrind, so we have to be sure no to be seen by Galbatorix, Shadow, Murtagh or Thorn."

_We'll take our chances, _Sonic said. _T__he Ra'zac are the ones who attacked me when I first came here, and I've wanted to settle the score. They won't even know what hit them! Besides, I'm the fastest thing alive and can outrun those slowpokes anytime!_

Everyone looked at Sonic in astonishment, knowing that he was showing his cocky attitude. He grinned and snorted in impatience.

_Be careful, _Saphira warned. _There will be many more Ra'zac at Helgrind than there were when they attacked you._

_Still, they're no match for me! _Sonic said. _When do we go? I'm getting impatient!_

Knuckles sighed, thinking that Sonic hasn't changed one bit. _We can leave now, if you want. First we'll go to the desert and then head over to Helgrind._

"Sounds like a plan," Eragon said. He got on Saphira's back and waited. The four dragons spread their wings and took to the air, ready to find the emeralds.

* * *

Meanwhile in Uru'baen, Galbatorix was pacing back and forth, furious. He glared at Shadow and stopped in front of the black dragon while Murtagh and Thorn stood next to him.

"I told you to take the emeralds, and you did not do so!" The king yelled. "I am happy that you have killed Glaedr and Oromis but my orders were to get the Chaos Emeralds and the Master Emerald! Why the hell did you disobey me?"

Shadow growled menacingly. _I had no choice, my Lord. One of the damn dragons, Knuckles, pinned me to the ground so I could not move. He told me that would continue this fight and would not give the Chaos Emeralds and the Master Emerald up! I am sorry that I disappointed you; let me go back and try again. I am sure they are searching for another emerald as we speak._

Galbatorix stood silent for a minute and then a grin appeared on his face. "No," he said. "Let us wait until they have gathered all of the emeralds they have. When they do, we shall attack."

Shadow nodded and walked out of the room. Galbatorix turned to Murtagh and Thorn, speaking to them.

"I have heard that the Varden have moved to Surda. I want you to go there and strike them down while they are vulnerable and do not have the dragons to protect them, do you understand me? It will take three days to get there but when you do, make sure to attack immediately."

Murtagh nodded. "I will do as you command, my Lord. When should I leave?"

The king motioned towards the door, giving Murtagh the hint that he should leave now. The Dragon Rider sighed and nodded, walking out to the courtyard. He got on Thorn's back and took off into the air, heading towards Surda.


	29. Hadarac Desert

Chapter 29: Hadarac Desert  


Sonic, Knuckles, Saphira and Tails had been flying for miles. The four dragons were on their way to the Hadarac Desert to get the next Chaos Emerald, and were wondering how long it would be until they got there. Along the way they talked about why the Chaos Emeralds were scattered across Alagaesia and why they had come here in the first place.

Tails was also telling Sonic what fun it was to be on another adventure with him, even if it was on another planet and they were in a new form. Sonic just chuckled and nodded his head, grinning.

_I agree, this adventure is a lot of fun, _Sonic told the orange dragon. _Even if the villain isn't Eggman, we're still going to take down another evil king. It reminds me of my trip to Camelot when I defeated King Arthur but when I did, it turns out he wasn't the main villain...Merlina was. After I defeated her, I became King of Camelot._

Tails nodded. _You told me about that when you came back. Have you been to Camelot often since then?_

_Yes, I have. __Being king of that land isn't easy, you know. Besides, I like the challenge. _

Saphira spoke up. _It sounds like you have had many grand adventures, Sonic. I'd like to hear them.  
_

Sonic looked at her. _I'll tell you about them sometime._

They flew for hours until it was nearly nightfall and saw a massive desert in the distance. The four dragons stopped in midair, seeing that the desert went for miles.

Eragon looked at Knuckles and spoke. _Where is the Chaos Emerald? _he asked.

Knuckles sighed and hovered in the air, searching the desert. Finally he saw a speck of light in the distance and roared. He flew off as the other dragons followed him also. Ten minutes later, Knuckles landed and so did the others. Eragon got off Saphira also and sighed. That's when they saw the Chaos Emerald. It was buried in the sand surrounded by a bright silver color. Knuckles picked the silver Chaos Emerald up in his paw and looked at it, giving it to Eragon.

_Five down, two to go, _Knuckles said.

_Don't forget that Galbatorix has two, _Sonic told him.

The red dragon nodded and spread his wings. He was about to fly off when they heard a loud roar. Everyone looked up to see Thorn flying through the air. He spotted them and dove down, landing in front of them, growling. Murtagh saw Eragon and smirked.

"Well, isn't this a surprise!" The Dragon Rider exclaimed. "I was just on my way to Surda on Galbatorix's orders. What are you doing here, may I ask?"

"We could ask you the same damn thing!" Eragon yelled loudly.

Murtagh smirked. "Don't be so harsh, brother. I was just passing through; I had no idea that you would be here. When I saw you, however, I couldn't resist stopping by."

_Why are you going to Surda? _Sonic asked.

"It's none of your business, dragon. By the way, I see you have found another Chaos Emerald."

_Are you going to steal it? _Knuckles growled in anger. _I'd like to see you try._

Murtagh ignored him and Thorn flapped his wings. A few seconds later the dragon and Rider were flying off into the distance.

Sonic's eyes widened and he looked at Saphira. _Murtagh said that he is heading to Surda. You don't suppose he will attack the Varden?_

_Sonic, you're right! _Saphira told him. _If he attacks the Varden without them knowing, they could be destroyed! We have to help!_

_How can we get there, though? _Tails asked. _Surda is miles away and even if we get there, he would still be ahead of us._

Sonic looked at the Chaos Emerald in Eragon's hand and grinned. _Give me the Chaos Emerald, _he told the Rider. Eragon looked confused but tossed him the emerald. The dragon held up his front right paw and caught the Chaos Emerald, gripping it tightly. Sonic closed his eyes and a concentrated. _CHAOS CONTROL!_

A bright light shone from the emerald and surrounded them, intensifying with each second. Suddenly, they all vanished an a flash of silver light.


	30. Attack on the Varden

Chapter 30: Attack on the Varden

A massive flash of light appeared and then vanished, leaving the four dragons, along with Eragon, gasping heavily. Sonic has just used Chaos Control, and they had appeared in another place. Eragon glared at Sonic, an angry expression on his face.

"What the hell was that?" Eragon shouted.

_Calm yourself, Eragon, and let Sonic explain, _Saphira told him sternly.

Sonic growled at Eragon, ignoring the swear word the Rider has said to him. He didn't like swearing; it felt unnecessary to say those kinds of words. The dragon continued to growl but spoke.

_That is a technique called Chaos Control, _Sonic told Eragon. _It is a power that allows the user to manipulate time and space, even teleport themselves to different locations by using a Chaos Emerald. Many of my friends, including Knuckles, Tails and Shadow, can use it as long as we have a Chaos Emerald in our possession._

Eragon nodded in understanding and sighed. "I am sorry I yelled at you; I was not expecting you to do that."

Sonic sighed. _It's fine. I should have told you about Chaos Control earlier. By the way, care to guess where we've teleported to?_

The Dragon Rider looked around and gasped as he saw the Varden encampment a few miles away. "You've teleported us to Surda?" he asked.

The dragon smirked and nodded, throwing the Chaos Emerald to Eragon, who caught it in his hands. _Keep that safe; we don't want it stolen. Murtagh will be here any minute, and we must warn the Varden._

Eragon nodded and followed the four dragons into the camp. Arya saw them coming and walked up to Sonic, smiling.

"I see you have arrived," she said. "What brings you here now? Have you finished looking for what you are looking for?"

Sonic shook his head. _We are almost done looking for the Chaos Emeralds, but we have come here to warn you that Murtagh and Thorn are on their way here to attack the Varden. They will be here any minute; we saw them when we found a emerald._

Arya's eyes widened. "Then we must prepare. What are these Chaos Emeralds you speak of?"

Sonic looked at Eragon, who held up the silver emerald and explained what it was and what it could do. When he was finished explaining, Arya was shocked. She looked at Sonic once more and gulped.

"These Chaos Emeralds seem very powerful," she said. "Come; I will take you to Nasuada."

The dragon nodded and followed Arya. A few minutes later they came to a tent and Arya went inside, only to come back out a few minutes later with Nasuada. She looked at Sonic and nodded.

"Arya has told me that Murtagh is coming to attack," Nasuada said. "When will he be here?"

_A few hours, _Sonic told her.

Nasuada nodded. "Then we have time to prepare. Will you fight him?"

The dragon grinned and looked back at Tails and Knuckles, who walked forward and stood beside him. Nasuada gasped as she saw the other two dragons.

_We will, _Sonic told her. _These are my friends, Knuckles and Tails. They were summoned to Alagaesia and have been transformed into dragons also._

"Amazing," Nasuada said. "Do what you have to do; we are counting on you to defeat him."

The three dragons nodded and walked away, waiting for Murtagh to show.

* * *

An hour later, Sonic was lying on the ground, resting, when a loud roar was heard. He looked up and saw Thorn flying towards the encampment with Murtagh on his back. The evil dragon let out a breath of flame that engulfed most of the encampment, watching in amusement as the fire burned the tents and people. Sonic growled and flapped his wings, flying in the air to meet him. Tails and Knuckles followed him and hovered in the air across from Thorn.

Murtagh smiled evilly and chuckled. "I see you got here before me! Well, no matter; I'm still going to burn this encampment and its people. Galbatorix wants to eradicate the Varden once and for all, so I'm going to destroy what's left of these damned rebels."

Sonic glared at Murtagh and roared. Tails and Knuckles did also. The evil Rider said nothing for a moment but knew that they were about to battle. He sighed in resignation and Thorn flapped his wings, launching himself towards the three dragons. He took a deep breath and let out a stream of fire that engulfed them.

The three dragons recovered, roared, and attacked. They blew fire at Thorn, who countered it with his own flame. He flapped his wings and flew towards the dragons, opening his jaw to bear his fangs. Knuckles clawed at him and bit Thorn on the neck. Blood appeared as Knuckles dug his fangs into the evil dragon's scaly neck. Thorn growled in pain as the red dragon let go, and blew out a jet of flame which burned Thorn, causing him to screech loudly.

Thorn looked at the three dragons and growled loudly. He flew towards Tails and scratched him across the snout. Tails snarled as blood dripped down his snout but he continued fighting, scratching Thorn with his own claws, making the evil dragon roar in pain. Suddenly Thorn felt something slam into him and saw Sonic bury his fangs into Thorn's neck. Thorn roared and tried to throw Sonic off but the dragon held on. The evil dragon flapped his wings and rose high in the air but Sonic scratched his underbelly with his claws. Thorn and Sonic were locked together in battle, scratching at each other with their claws as Sonic still held onto Thorn's neck.

Suddenly, Thorn started to dive towards the ground in one last attempt to throw Sonic off of him. Tails and Knuckles saw the coming and flew out of the way, flapping their wings to stay in the air. Sonic then closed his jaws around Thorn's neck, breaking the bones instantly. He got out of Thorn's grip as blood from the dragon flowed out of the broken neck and Thorn fell out of the sky, landing dead on the ground.

Murtagh stumbled off of Thorn and looked at him, knowing that his dragon was dead. He saw the three dragons land and let out a mighty scream of agony.

"What the hell have you done?" he yelled. "You damned dragons killed Thorn! You will pay dearly for this, I assure you."

Sonic growled at Murtagh and was about to attack the Rider when he cast a spell, blinding them with a bright light, and teleported away. When the light faded, Murtagh was gone.


	31. Galbatorix's Wrath

Chapter 31: Galbatorix's Wrath

Murtagh appeared back at Uru'baen, weak and wounded. He could still feel Thorn's cries of agony a few minutes before he died through the mental link. Tears came to his eyes and he screamed in frustration, agony and pain. His dragon was dead, killed by that damned Sonic! He fell to his knees and clutched his head, feeling the last of the mental bond fade away. Now, he had nothing. Without a dragon, he could feel an empty space in his mind, and wondered if this was what every Rider had to go through if they'd lose their dragons and continue living without one because Dragon Riders were immortal too. He stood up and pushed the pain away for now; he had to report to Galbatorix.

The former Rider walked into the castle and saw the king with Shadow standing near him. He bowed on one knee. Galbatorix noticed something was wrong but ignored it and stood up.

"Rise," Galbatorix said, and Murtagh did so. "What have you to report, Murtagh?"

"My Lord...my mission has failed. The three dragons were waiting for me and attacked. Sonic killed Thorn, and I barely escaped with my life."

The king said nothing and walked up to Murtagh, looking him in the eyes. "So, you have failed me. Tell me, how did Sonic, Saphira, and the other two dragons learn of this attack?"

"I...I saw them in the Hadarac Desert searching for a Chaos Emerald as I was flying by," Murtagh said. "They asked me where I was headed so I told them, thinking that they would not make it in time. When I got to the Varden encampment in Surda, however, they were already there. I have no idea how, though."

_Sonic must have used Chaos Control, _Shadow said. Both Murtagh and Galbatorix looked at him, and the dragon continued. _It is an ability used to manipulate the fabric of time and space. This ability allows you to teleport and travel through time, among other things. You must have a Chaos Emerald to perform it, though._

Galbatorix turned around and glared at Murtagh. "How could you not know that the Chaos Emeralds had this ability?"

Murtagh gulped. "I...I had no idea. Please, let me go back and try again. I am sure that I can beat them this time!"

The king said nothing. He advanced towards Murtagh until he was right in front of him, pulled his sword out from its sheath on his belt and plunged it straight into Murtagh's chest. Murtagh's eyes widened and he gasped. Galbatorix pulled the sword out and Murtagh fell to the ground as blood pooled out from his wound, soaking the ground. He looked up at Galbatorix with a sad, betrayed look on his face.

"W...why?" Murtagh choked out.

Galbatorix looked down at him, still holding his sword. "You have failed me for the last time, Murtagh. Now you have paid the price and have outlived your usefulness. You and Thorn were good servants but I have no more use for you; you have told me everything I need to hear. Farewell."

He brought his sword down and severed Murtagh's head, decapitating him instantly. The head rolled on the floor as Murtagh's corpse lay on the ground. Galbatorix sheathed his sword, not bothering to clean it, and looked at Shadow.

"It is time to end this! You must go to Vroengard and wait for them; I will show up there shortly. When Sonic and the other dragons, along with Eragon, show up there to collect the last Chaos Emerald, we will kill them instantly and take it for ourselves! Do you understand me, Shadow?"

The dragon nodded. He held the two Chaos Emeralds in his paws and teleported off. After he left, Galbatorix went downstairs to the dungeon and saw Angela still in her cell. He walked past her and opened a door leading down to a large basement. Inside was a large velvet curtain draped across the room. He took his sword and yelled, slashing the curtain in half.

_It is time, Shruikan, _Galbatorix said mentally.

Something moved in the dark behind the curtain. A loud roar echoed throughout the entire room and two gleaming yellow eyes appeared, narrowing into slits.


	32. Helgrind

Chapter 32: Helgrind

Back at the Varden encampment, Sonic was talking to Nasuada about the attack. Tails, Saphira, Eragon and Knuckles were standing beside him, listening to what he had to say, as the dragon had made the telepathic conversation public so that they could hear it too.

_We have killed Thorn, but Murtagh escaped, _Sonic told her. _Thankfully, the attack was thwarted by us._

Nasuada nodded. "Thank you for your help, Sonic. We will send Arya again if we need anything. I assume you are going to search for the last two Chaos Emeralds?"

The dragon looked at Tails and Knuckles, who nodded. _We are, _Sonic said. _There is one in Helgrind and the last Chaos Emerald in on the island Vroengard. I have a feeling it won't be easy, though. Galbatorix, Shadow, and Murtagh might be there._

"I wish you luck," Nasuada said.

Sonic nodded and flapped his wings as he, Tails, Knuckles and Saphira flew in the air. Eragon was on Saphira's back at looked at the other dragons, wondering where they were headed to next. Sonic seemed to know what Eragon was thinking and he responded.

_We are headed to Helgrind now, _the dragon told him. _The Chaos Emerald is there, and we intend to find it. _

"But what about the Ra'zac?" Eragon asked. "We may have to fight them also."

Sonic grinned and looked at Eragon, nodding. Knuckles and Tails also seemed excited. They flew for hours until they saw a huge mountain in the distance and knew it was Helgrind. The four dragons descended and landed on the hot sand near the mountain and looked at it.

_Is that Helgrind? _Knuckles asked Eragon.

The Dragon Rider nodded. "Can you sense the Chaos Emerald?"

Knuckles closed his eyes and stood still. After a few minutes, he opened them and growled. _It is inside the mountain._

Eragon sighed. "Then it looks like we'll have to go in and attack the Ra'zac. It shouldn't be too much trouble; there are four dragons here who could easily burn them using your fire breath. Anyway, let's go!"

_Wait, _Tails said. _What about the other Chaos Emeralds we've collected? Does anyone have them with us?_

"They're in here," Eragon replied, holding up his knapsack.

Tails nodded. The four dragons growled eagerly and walked towards the mountain. When they got there, they saw that it was larger than they had seen it when they first got here. They walked closer to it and saw a large door that lead inside.

Eragon looked a Saphira. _Would you be so kind as to burn the door down?_

_It would be my pleasure, _Saphira said. She opened her mouth and exhaled a massive ball of flame. The door melted instantly and she walked in, followed by Sonic, Tails and Knuckles. They saw a long corridor and walked down it. Knuckles could feel the Chaos Emerald nearby and led them to it. A cyan emerald was lying by a rock, and Eragon picked it up.

"We found it," he said. "That was pretty easy. Now there's only one left, and that's in Vroengard."

He put it in the knapsack with the other emeralds. They started to leave but suddenly heard a loud shouting. The Rider and dragons turned around and saw a multitude of Ra'zac running towards them, swords drawn. The Rider blinked and drew his sword, charging, but one of the creatures suddenly landed in front of him. He yelped as the sword it was carrying swung down, barely missing him. He jumped and dodged out of the way, only to find himself surrounded by the creatures. They hissed and leaped towards him, taking Eragon by surprise. One of the creatures swung his sword again, this time wounding the Rider.

_Eragon! _Sonic yelled. he roared and blew a breath of fire at the Ra'zac, causing them to scream in agony. He looked at the Ra'zac in hatred and then burned them alive once more. Tails, Saphira and Knuckles rushed forwards, killing them also. Eragon had recovered and was swinging his sword, decapitating the Ra'zac one by one. The battle went on for minutes until every Ra'zac was dead.

The four dragons let out roars of pride and flew out of the mountain. Once they were outside, Eragon looked at them and had a satisfying expression on his face.

"The Ra'zac are dead!" he shouted.

Sonic nodded. _And we have the Chaos Emerald. Now, let's head to Vroengard to collect the final one._

_But Galbatorix, Shadow and Murtagh might be waiting there for us! _Saphira exclaimed.

The dragon grinned. _Well then, we'll just have to fight them!_

He roared and flew in the air, waiting for the others. Eragon got on Saphira's back and the female dragon hovered beside Sonic. The two dragons flew off, followed by Knuckles and Tails, on their way to Vroengard to get the final Chaos Emerald.


	33. The Final Chaos Emerald

Chapter 33: The Final Chaos Emerald  


The flight to the island Vroengard was long. Sonic and the other dragon passed many mountains and cities in Alagaesia before they saw the Spine. The mountain region was vast, long and went across the entire west coast. Eragon looked down and saw the river that headed towards the ocean. A few hours later, they had passed over the Spine and saw the coastline.

Sonic roared and descended, skimming his claws across the water, which splashed a little as the dragon flew over it. He then flew higher and grinned, looking at Saphira.

_How much longer until we reach Vroengard? _he asked.

The female dragon thought about it. _We should be there in a few hours, _she told Sonic. _The island is located off the coast of northern Alagaesia. You shall see it in the distance shortly._

Sonic nodded. Tails and Knuckles flapped their wings and flew beside him, growling a little. The two dragons roared happily and flew past Sonic, trying to turn this into a race. Sonic grinned and followed them at his top speed. Tails was shocked to see a blue blur of speed shoot past him, and saw Sonic in front of him. A grin appeared on his snout and he snorted.

_This is a lot of fun, _Tails told him. _It's basically like our adventures at home; we're searching for the Chaos Emeralds and trying to defeat the villain but this time we're in different forms and in another land._

The blue dragon grinned also. They continued flying until the saw an island in the distance, and knew that it was Vroengard. Half an hour later, the island grew nearer until they could see it clearly, and started to descend. Sonic angled his wings and landed on hard granite. Tails, Knuckles and Saphira did also, and the four dragons folded their wings against their bodies and looked around.

"This is Vroengard," Eragon said. "It is home of Doru Araeba, the capital of the Dragon Riders. The ruins are not far from here but we should tread with caution; Shadow and Galbatorix could be lurking around anywhere."

_Glaedr also told us that the Rock of ____Kuthian_ is here sealing the Vault of Souls, Sonic told him. _I would like to visit there while we are here._

Eragon nodded. "I, too, am intrigued by it. Perhaps after we find the Chaos Emerald we should head over there."

_Speaking of which, where is the Chaos Emerald? _Sonic asked Knuckles.

The red dragon closed his eyes for a few seconds and then opened them. _It is in Doru Araeba, _he said. _We should head there immediately._

Sonic and the other dragons nodded. They started walking, looking around the island. It was filled with sharp rocks and strange wildlife. Sonic's hunger grew and he snarled, seeing a deer a few feet from him. The dragon pounced on the animal, tearing it apart with his fangs. Once he had finished eating, he shared some with the others and rejoined the group.

A few minutes after the dragons had finished eating, Saphira let out a low growl and slumped to the ground, clutching her stomach. Sonic's eyes widened and ran over to her, lowering his head so that he was eyes level with the female dragon.

_Saphira, are you okay? _he asked.

The female dragon growled in pain. Sonic glanced at her stomach and saw a large bulge. His eyes widened.

_Is that...an egg?_

Saphira nodded. _I'm pregnant, Sonic. I only found out recently but didn't know how to tell you._

A grin appeared on the dragon's face. _That's amazing, Saphira! I'm so happy! When will you give birth?_

_One month from now, _she said.

Sonic licked his mate happily, and Saphira licked him back. She stood up on all fours, grunting as she did so. Once she reached her full height, she started walking and they continued on.

Ten minutes later, the group had reached Doru Araeba. The capital was now in ruins; the buildings had crumbled to the ground, causing the dragons to walk around them. Knuckles scanned the ruins and saw a dark purple light in a corner. He walked over to it and saw that it was a Chaos Emerald.

_We have found it, _Knuckles said.

Eragon reached down and grabbed the purple emerald in his hand. Roars of pride could be heard as the dragons knew that their search was over. Before Eragon put it in his knapsack with the other emeralds, he heard a voice.

_Very good, Eragon. Now turn around and hand the emerald to me._

The Dragon Rider turned around and gasped, along with the other dragons. Standing in front of them, exposing his sharp fangs and growling menacingly, was Shadow.


	34. A Battle at Vroengard

Chapter 34: A Battle at Vroengard

Shadow growled, advancing toward Eragon and the four dragons. An evil smirk was on his face and he looked at them.

_I had a feeling you'd be here looking for the Chaos Emerald, _Shadow said. _My master Galbatorix is on his way right now; we will kill all of you and take the emeralds with us. It's fortunate you have all of them with you._

"You've been waiting for us to show up here!" Eragon yelled. "How the hell did you find out we would be coming?"

The evil dragon growled. _I sensed that the emerald was here and knew you would be showing up as well. It was only a matter of time._

_If you want the Chaos Emerald, then come and get it! _Sonic told him. _We defeated you once and we can do it again!_

_That's where you're wrong, Sonic. This time, I won't be alone._

_What do you mean?_

Shadow looked to the sky and grinned. _You'll find out soon enough. He's almost here._

As soon as he said that, a great burst of wind rose up. The thudding of loud wings could be heard and a shape appeared in the sky. A massive black dragon was descending and landed next to Shadow. He was even taller than Sonic and had massive, hard scales protecting him. The spikes on his back were as thick as tree trunks and the muscles on his body were massive. He also had golden eyes and his pupils were slits. As the dragon took a step forward, the entire ground shook tremendously.

Galbatorix was sitting upon the dragon and grinned evilly. "It's time to end this, Sonic! You've never faced a dragon like Shruikan before. Give me those emeralds now."

Sonic growled and fired a blast of flame at Shruikan but it was no use; the dragon was unharmed. Sonic's eyes widened and he roared angrily. Galbatorix chuckled and commanded Shruikan and Shadow to attack.

The two evil dragons took a step towards the four dragons and blew fire at them. Sonic evaded the attack and flew towards the Shruikan, claws outstretched. Shruikan roared in anger as Sonic scratched him, sending blood flying from the wounds. The dragon flew in the air, circled around Sonic and opened his jaws, sending out a jet of fire that scorched Sonic. The dragon roared in pain and anger, as the fire burned him.

Tails and Knuckles were also fighting Shadow, blowing fire at him. Shadow growled and sent out Chaos Spears towards them. The two dragons evaded them and flew towards Shadow, blowing fire at the evil dragon. He screeched in pain as Tails and Knuckles gripped his neck in their jaws and bit into Shadow's neck. The evil dragon tried to let go and flew towards the ground, trying to shake them off. Knuckles and Tails let go and blew fire at Shadow again, engulfing him in flame. Shadow roared in pain and fell to the ground, smoke billowing from his body. He tried to get up but was too weak and glared at the two dragons angrily. The evil dragon was about to get up and fight them again when he heard Galbatorix's voice.

"Shadow, stop! Let Shruikan fight them; you've done enough for now," the king said.

The black dragon growled by obeyed. He sat on his haunches at watched the battle between Shruikan and Sonic.

Meanwhile, Shruikan was still fighting Sonic. The evil dragon spread his wings and flew higher in the air. Sonic flew after the dragon, battling in the air. He scratched Shruikan and dove, growling loudly. Sonic took a deep breath, sending fire toward the evil dragon, who dodged it. Suddenly Shruikan flapped his wings and circled above Sonic. He dove at the dragon, hitting Sonic with such force, sending him plummeting to the ground.

Tails and Knuckles growled and flew towards Sonic to help him. They flew toward Shruikan, breathing fire at him. The evil dragon dodged the fire and retaliated with one of his own. A stream of fire flew toward the dragons, engulfing them in flame. They screeched in pain but recovered from the blow. They flapped their wings and flew at Shruikan, surrounding him. Claws slashed across the evil dragon's face as the other ones attacked. Shruikan roared in pain and flew upward then roared loudly and dove at the dragons. Shruikan took a deep breath and let out a stream of fire that surrounded Tails and Knuckles. Then he slammed into Knuckles' side, burying his fangs into the red dragon's scaly hide. Knuckles roared in pain and tried to throw Shruikan off but couldn't. Shruikan then closed his jaws around Knuckles' neck and released as blood from the dragon flowed out of the broken neck. Knuckles fell out of the sky, landing hard on the ground.

_KNUCKLES! _Tails roared. He flew towards the fallen dragon and snarled, looking up at Shruikan. The evil dragon landed on the ground and snarled.

Galbatorix laughed. "It looks like your friend will not make it! Now, if you please...give me those damn Chaos Emeralds!"

Suddenly, Galbatorix sent out a bolt of magic that paralyzed Eragon and the four dragons instantly. He walked up to Eragon and snatched the knapsack from him, taking the seven Chaos Emeralds out. The evil king grinned, feeling the power in them. He looked at the four dragons and held up an emerald.

"I assume you will try and stop me, but it is already too late! Nevertheless, I will be expecting you. CHAOS CONTROL!"

With those words, he vanished in a flash of light. Once they were gone, everyone ran up to Knuckles, extremely worried about him. The red dragon coughed, spitting something from his mouth, and looked up at Sonic. A smile came to his face and his breathing grew slower until it finally stopped altogether.

Knuckles was dead.


	35. Heart of Hearts

Chapter 35: Heart of Hearts

Sonic looked at Knuckles' dead body and shook his head, trying to deny it. He couldn't believe that one of his friends was dead! This was all Galbatorix's fault; he had caused Knuckles' death and worse, stole the Chaos Emeralds! The dragon growled angrily and let out a loud snarl. He started shaking in anger and suddenly a dark purple aura surrounded him. His scales turned black and his eyes turned a pure white.

_GALBATORIX! _He roared at the top of his lungs.

Saphira, Eragon and Tails backed up instantly. The Dragon Rider, along with Saphira, was wondering what was going on. Tails just growled, having seen this transformation before.

Saphira looked at the orange dragon. _What is this? How did Sonic do that?_

_This is his Dark form, _Tails told her. _He usually turns into it when he's extremely angry, like he is now. The only way for him to turn back would be for him to calm down. I wouldn't advise it, though; he's extremely violent in this form and is angered easily. Just let him release his anger and he'll calm down on his own._

The female dragon nodded and looked at Sonic, who was still roaring. He turned to looked at her, and she gasped when she saw the pupiless eyes. Saphira hesitated and slowly walked up to him, wondering what he would do.

_Are you okay? _She asked the dragon.

Sonic growled, showing his sharp fangs. _No, I'm not. I'm extremely pissed off right now! First Galbatorix takes the Chaos Emeralds, and then he kills Knuckles! I'm going to kill him!_

_You don't really mean that...do you? _

The now-black dragon chuckled. _Who knows? Maybe I will kill Galbatorix. It'll be worth it for all the pain he's caused!_

Tails sighed in exasperation, wondering how long this was going to go on. He looked up when he heard Sonic roar and saw the black dragon flap his wings and take off into the air, presumably flying to another part of the island.

_Sonic, come back! _Saphira yelled. She looked at Tails. _We have to go after him!_

The orange dragon shook his head. _He'll come back on his own; just let him calm down. _He looked at the body of Knuckles, a tear running down his snout. _Still, I am upset about Knuckles' death too. He didn't deserve it. If only things had turned out differently..._

A gleam caught Tails' eye and he looked closer to Knuckles' body. He was shocked to see a large red gem in front of Knuckles' snout covered with saliva; the red dragon must have spit it out. Suddenly, the gem glowed and Knuckles' body vanished. Tails growled in surprise and picked it up, wiping the saliva off of it. He turned to Eragon and handed it to him.

_Do you know what this is? _Tails asked.

Eragon looked at the large gem and gasped. "That's an Eldunari; a dragon's heart of hearts! It allows dead dragons to transfer their consciousness inside it. They are extremely powerful."

Tails growled. _You mean to tell me that gem is Knuckles? So technically, he's not dead?_

Eragon nodded. Suddenly the gem glowed and started floating. A few seconds later, a voice could be heard.

_Where...where am I? What happened?_

_Knuckles, can you hear me?_ Tails asked.

The Eldunari glowed again. _Yes, _Knuckles' voice said. _I can hear you. Galbatorix killed me, so I disgorged my Eldunari and transformed into it. Where is Sonic?_

_He flew off somewhere; he'll be back soon._

Knuckles' Eldunari was silent for a minute. Then it gave off a bright glow. _The Chaos Emeralds! _Knuckles said. _I can sense them; that evil king, Galbatorix, has them! _

Tails nodded. _We're planning to get them back, Knuckles. Don't you worry. We'll finish this once and for all. _He stopped talking for a minute and heard a roar in this distance. He looked up to see Sonic, back to normal. _It looks like Sonic's back, _Tails said. _Let's go see him; he'll be in for quite a surprise._

The Eldunari glowed brightly and floated in the air, following Tails. The orange dragon grinned as he noticed it float after him. Even as a dragon, Knuckles was full of surprises. Now it was time to see what he could do as an Eldunari.


	36. The Rock of Kuthian

Chapter 36: The Rock of Kuthian

A roar sounded in the distance as Sonic flew back from wherever he had been and looked down to see Tails roaring loudly, hoping to catch his attention. The dragon also saw a large red gem beside Tails and wondered what that was. He angled his wings and landed on the ground, looking at his friend.

_Hey Tails, _Sonic said. _Sorry about earlier; I was just really upset about Knuckles' death. What is that red gem beside you?_

Tails grinned. _This is Knuckles! He's become an Eldunari!_

Sonic's eyes widened. _WHAT? __That...amazing! _He looked at the Eldunari. _Is that really you, Knux_?

The Eldunari glowed. _Sure is, Sonic! I transformed into this after Galbatorix killed me._

_Great! _Sonic said. _Well, it's great to see you..."alive." Why did you decide to become an Eldunari?_

_I just wanted to continue helping you guys, _the voice of Knuckles said. _B__esides, being an Eldunari is pretty cool; I feel really powerful and I'm immortal in this form._

Sonic grinned. _Dragons are immortal too, _he said. _Hey, before we leave, I want to check out the Vault of Souls. Can we do that?_

_Sure, _the Eldunari said.

Sonic walked back to Eragon and Saphira. He smiled and nodded. The Rider and the dragon looked at him curiously.

"What is it?" Eragon asked.

_I know that Knuckles is an Eldunari now; Tails told me. Also before we leave, I wanted to visit the Vault of Souls. What Oromis told me about it sounds intriguing and I have to know what is in there. _

"I too am curious about the Vault of Souls," Eragon told him. "We will go there. By the way, where did you go when you flew off?"

_Oh, I just flew around the island. I found a mountain that had a passageway in it; I am guessing that is the way to the Rock of Kuthian. By the way, I found out what my true name is also._

Eragon's eyes widened. "What is it?"

Sonic told him. The name had such meaning to it and fit Sonic's personality well. Eragon nodded, telling the dragon his also.

_That is a good name, _Sonic said.

The Dragon Rider smiled and got on Saphira. "We should head over there now," he said.

A few minutes later, Tails walked over, followed by Knuckles' Eldunari. The gem's glow faded as the Eldunari stopped floating, and Eragon put it in his knapsack so that it couldn't get lost or stolen. Sonic roared and spread his wings, flying into the air. Tails and Saphira flew by him also. A few miles later, they saw the mountain that Sonic had talked about. The three dragons landed and saw the passageway.

_Is this the entrance? _Tails asked.

_I believe so, _Sonic said.

They started walking down the passage until they saw a massive doorway, and knew that this was the Rock of Kuthian.

_How do we open it? _The orange dragon asked Eragon.

"Oromis told me that we need to speak our true names to the doorway, and it will open," Eragon told him.

Sonic growled and spoke his true name. As soon as he said it, the doorway rumbled and slid open. He walked inside, followed by Tails, Saphira and Eragon. The three dragons and the Rider gasped in shock at what they saw.

The Vault of Souls was filled with dragon eggs and Eldunari.


	37. Entering the Vault of Souls

Chapter 37: Entering the Vault of Souls

Everyone stared in shock at the dragon eggs and the Eldunari. So many questions rose in their minds. How did they get here? Why was this kept a secret? What caused these eggs and Eldunari to be sealed away, and who sealed them?

Sonic looked at what was in the vault with a look of awe on his face. He looked at Eragon and grinned.

_It looks like the dragon race isn't extinct after all, _he said.

Eragon nodded, still in shock. Suddenly a voice started to speak.

_Welcome, Sonic, _the voice said. _We have been waiting for you._

Sonic growled in confusion. _Who are you?_

One of the Eldunari glowed and started floating, hovering in front of Eragon and Sonic.

_I am Cuaroc, _the Eldunari said. _I assume you have many questions; I shall answer all I can. __  
_

Sonic nodded. _What did you mean by "you've been waiting for me?"_

_Allow me to explain, _Cuaroc said. _The Vault of Souls was created Oromis and Glaedr to hide the dragon eggs from Galbatorix. Every dragon egg contains a wild dragon. He was hoping that once Galbatorix had been killed, these eggs would hatch and repopulate the dragon race._

The dragon looked around, amazed. _How many dragon eggs are in here?_

_Two-hundred and forty three, _Cuaroc replied. _The one hundred and thirty-six Eldunari you see here are the dragons that were killed during the first war with Galbatorix and the Dragon Riders._

_Outstanding, _Sonic said. _But why have you been waiting for me?_

The Eldunari glowed brighter. _It was us who have been causing events to be set in motion, Sonic. The Eldunari here reached out with our minds, manipulating events so that everything would be set to bring down Galbatorix. Angela knew this as well. We contacted her through a vision, telling her to summon a person to aid Eragon. When she cast her spell, it was us who altered the flow of magic and sent you here._

Sonic's eyes widened and he roared in surprise. _It was you! _He exclaimed. _I thought I felt a presence in my mind sometimes during my quest. You must have sent the Chaos Emerald here also, along with Tails and Knuckles!_

_That we did, _Cuaroc told him. _As Eldunari, we have vast amounts of great power. But of course, Knuckles already knows this._

The Eldunari that was Knuckles suddenly started glowing and came out of the knapsack, hovering in midair beside Sonic. _As I died, I had a vision of this place. The Eldunari here told me that my part in this quest was not yet over and that I should become an Eldunari to continue helping you, Sonic. That is why I chose to transform myself into this form.__  
_

Sonic looked at the red gem and smiled. He looked back at the Eldunari of Cuaroc and nodded.

_I thank you for all you have done for us, _he said. _What happens now?_

_You must take most of these Eldunari with you, _Cuaroc said. _Their combined strength will help you defeat Galbatorix once and for all. The dragon eggs shall remain here for now. Once you defeat the king, come back here and take the dragon eggs out into the wild so they can hatch. We shall meet again._

With that, the Eldunari's glow faded and dropped back into the pile. Eragon, Tails and Saphira started picking the rest of the Eldunari up and put them in Eragon's knapsack. They exited the Vault of Souls and looked at each other.

_That was...interesting, _Saphira said.

Sonic nodded. _Indeed it was. I have a feeling that we will defeat Galbatorix now._

Saphira grinned. Eragon put Knuckles' Eldunari back into his knapsack and got on his dragon's back. The three dragons spread their wings and took off into the air, ready to confront the king and defeat him once and for all.


	38. Rematch

Chapter 38: Rematch

The three dragons flew for hours from Vroengard to Alagaesia. Sonic was eager to confront Galbatorix and end this once and for all. Tails knew what he was thinking and smirked.

_You really want to battle him, don't you? _The orange dragon asked. _So do I. We also have to find a way and free Shadow! If he's not freed than he might die, and we don't want that._

Sonic nodded. _You know I don't kill._

_But you killed Thorn,_ Tails told him.

_That was different, _the dragon told Tails. _He would have killed me and every one of the Varden if I hadn't stopped him. Besides, I have a feeling that Galbatorix killed Murtagh anyway._

_Knowing him, he might have._

The blue male dragon nodded. _We have to stop him in order to free Alagaesia from his cruel tyranny._

Tails looked at him. He, Sonic and Saphira continued to fly until they reached Uru'baen. They landed in the courtyard and walked inside, seeing that Galbatorix, Shadow and Shruikan were in the throne room with the seven Chaos Emeralds.

Galbatorix turned to face them. "Well, if it isn't the three dragons! Are you all ready to die?"

Sonic growled. _We will not be the ones to die, Galbatorix. Eragon, Tails, Saphira and I will defeat you. let's just say we have a...secret weapon._

"Well, I have all of the Chaos Emeralds in my possession, and I will use them against you, Sonic! You know all about how they work and Shadow has told me everything about them. What hope do you have against me?"

_You'll find out, _the dragon said.

_What the hell do you mean, Sonic? _Shadow asked.

Sonic smirked. He launched himself at Shadow, who was taken by surprise at the sudden attack. The blue dragon pounced on him and roared, digging his claws into Shadow's chest. Shadow growled in pain and threw Sonic off but the blue dragon roared and launched a fireball at him, which hit Shadow upon impact. The evil dragon screeched and retaliated with his own flame.

Tails and Saphira watched the two dragons battle but it was clearer that Sonic was stronger because of all the Eldunari he possessed. Knuckles' Eldunari glowed, hovering in the air beside them. Sonic bit into Shadow's scales, drawing blood. Shadow roared in pain and tired to throw Sonic off but couldn't. He flapped his wings and flew in the air, crashing through the roof of the castle. Bricks tumbled to the ground but Shruikan, Saphira, Tails and Galbatorix evaded them.

Shadow flapped his wings, trying to shake Sonic off, but the dragon held on to Shadow's scaly hide. The evil dragon growled and folded his wings against his body, descending at a fast rate. Sonic's eyes widened as he realized that Shadow was dive-bombing towards the ground in an attempt to get him off and let go. He landed on the ground and saw Shadow fly down towards him, scratching Sonic with his claws.

The blue dragon screeched in pain and roared, blowing a ball of flame at the evil dragon. Shadow saw this coming and dodged, throwing a Chaos Spear at Sonic, who grinned and teleported out of the way, appearing in front of Shadow and blowing another flame at him. The evil dragon roared as the fire burned him and growled at Sonic.

_You've improved, _Shadow told him. _But before this is over, I'll show you the true power of...Chaos Control!_

He vanished in a flash of light and appeared above Sonic, slamming him down with his paw. Sonic grunted and tried to get up but Shadow's full weight was on the dragon and couldn't. Shadow lowered his snout to Sonic and growled, showing his sharp fangs.

_You're pathetic, Faker. I should kill you here and now but Galbatorix wants to do that himself. Any last words before I make you lose consciousness?_

Sonic looked at him, growling angrily. He opened his jaws and bit into Shadow's neck; enough to wound him but to kill him. The evil dragon roared in pain as blood leaked from the wound. Sonic then blew fire at Shadow, which engulfed the dragon. Shadow groaned and stumbled as the fire dissipated, then fell to the ground unconscious.

"Well done, Sonic," Galbatorix said. "You have grown stronger, and I know it is because of the Eldunari that you have. Speaking of which, I have a surprise of my own to even this fight out."

_What do you mean? _Sonic asked.

Galbatorix grinned and brought out a pouch from his cloak. He opened it and glowing gems flew out, hovering above him. Sonic's eyes widened as he recognized them instantly.

They were Eldunari.


End file.
